Braceface! Who, me?

Warning: Insignificant story ahead.

It is a known fact that I have been wearing dental braces for a while now. And it is not a known fact that I have been having metal in my mouth for five years to date. And it is an even lesser known fact that my dental braces have been removed the night before last. I am still getting used to having my teeth being metal-free after having worn braces for an immensely long time. I don't think I can even remember a time before The Braces. During those five years, my teeth have underwent almost all possible situations ever. They have been fractured, sawed, screwed, scraped, loosened, binded, removed and x-rayed. Clearly, my teeth deserve the title of Most Problematic Teeth. Also, I have a perfectionist for an orthodontist.

Certain unforgettable things the orthodontist have said to me during my time with The Braces:
- "You are the longest patient I've ever had."
- "Your braces will come off before your SPM examination."
- "I will get your braces off before Christmas."
- "I will try to remove your braces before the Chinese New Year."
- "So you are in your first year of high school?"
- "I saw you walking around your college the other day."
- "I spotted you in the newspaper last week and thought to myself, 'Ah, so my patient has been in the papers...but not the dentist.' "

Life post-braces has been highly weird so far. I talk funny, my teeth feel unreal and like plastic and my smile seems extra wide. I dare say that I miss the metal in my mouth but I am thankful my teeth are, finally, metal-free now.