There are loads of phrases we see and hear when it comes to our smiles….”our smiles are the windows to our soul” or “smile and the world smiles with you” or my personal favourite “smile..its the prettiest thing you can wear“.
But you see for me for many and I mean many years I thought that this wasn’t the case. I never smiled in photos, actually I deliberately avoided photos on nights out at events etc. On the rare occasion I did end up in a photo, I preferred to hide in the back and certainly never smiled showing my teeth. I always promised myself I would do something about it. They weren’t terrible. I just wasn’t happy with them and it didn’t matter what my friends and family said that was my opinion and that was that.
Last year I hit 35, a bit of a milestone in my own head and thought you know what.. im going to do this. So I began a treatment programme which used clear aligners.
Thus beginning a journey I wanted to take for some time. This is all done online, you take impressions of your teeth and they get sent off and a couple of weeks later your clear braces land in the door. So so simple and efficient.
The name of the company I happened to work with is called Your Smile Direct, which is one of several new, online companies that have made it possible to address minor teeth misalignments from home, without the dentist visits or big bills associated with braces. Your Smile Direct has recently closed down, but there are other, similar options out there including SmileDirectClub and Straight Teeth Direct.
However in advance its important to have consultation with a dentist, do shop around as you may even be able to obtain a free dental consultation.
Following completion of the programme which took all in all about 8 months, I could not believe the different, each aligner change brought subtle but noticeable changes but it was only at the end when I saw the before and after pictures I realised just how far my teeth had come. But it wasn’t just my teeth. I lecture and I found my thoughts on my teeth really impacted on my confidence. I hid behind the podium, behind my hands or pages. Always aware and to be honest probably overly consumed by it. Now, its an entirely different story, I don’t mind getting into photos. I smile!! I actually truly smile.
People very close to me have said the difference in my confidence has been immense. I always knew it bothered me and maybe it did even more than I liked to believe it did. Following the completion of the aligners process, I went for a gentle teeth whitening treatment. I was like the final piece of the puzzle. Because it was the non peroxide, gentle whitening I will have to get it topped up regularly but that’s fine. I was concerned about sensitivity so I didn’t want to change a harsh treatment.
I have become a very vocal advocate now for looking after yourself. If you have the power to change something why don’t you do it. That goes even for plastic surgery but one thing I will say is go for the best plastic surgeon it is not something you want to take chances on.
It took me way to long to realise that the we have the power ourselves to change things and I am so glad I did though.
Bruno Mars put it more eloquently that I ever could and some words to live by for us …”and when you smile the whole world stops and stares for a while”
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