End of an era

I'm really proud of myself. I lasted three and one fourth years in braces. I didn't expect to feel different, but I do. It means an end of a chapter of being a preemie and having a brown tooth, and congenitally missing two teeth, avoiding the dentist for years, then going faithfully, and  then onto orthodontics, having two teeth pulled to relieve the crowding.
   Having been under the care of many doctors in my life, I have to say, my orthodontist is my favorite. He wanted me to be happy with myself. The first week with braces was the hardest; I had canker sores from my lip getting caught on the brackets, I didn't understand why I drooled so much, and my lower lip was huge. I wondered, did I make a mistake? Can I handle this? But I called him up, and he agreed to see me the next day to switch a few brackets to a smaller size, and also to cauterize my canker sores.   
      Movement of my teeth seemed noticeable, but a long process. Everyone says that braces aren't bad, and they aren't horrible, but I was uncomfortable. Eventually, I got used to the feel of them against my lips and inner cheeks, I learned how to talk over them and eat without biting directly into the fork instead of my food. I lived without gum, or corn on the cob, and cut up apples.
     And then suddenly, they were off, my teeth were polished, and I looked in the mirror, thinking that I would know, since I had the clear braces, what my teeth would look like. I looked in the mirror, and I cried. I cried like that show where they "move that bus," I cried like a winner in a game show. It wasn't all out sobbing, just tears of pride, relief, and joy. Growing up with cerebral palsy, you learn, or I have anyway, how to accept your flaws, to know who I am inside no matter what my gait looks like. But the fight seems easier now, as I know no child would point out my need for braces or wonder what those things were on my teeth. I felt an ease about myself. I have struggled with orthopedic alignment all my life, and it feels nice to know that my teeth are now where they are "supposed" to be, all the more confident about how beautiful I am inside.