My “sentence” was from my 7th grade year in middle school until the middle of my freshman year of high school. This two-year period brought plenty of awkwardness, many inconveniences, and some pain but by the end of it, I was completely rehabilitated. Or at least my teeth were.

I am of course talking about braces.

Much gratitude to my parents for investing in the smiles of all three Reser kids. They shelled out the monthly payments so we could all wear braces and achieve straight smiles.

Of course at the time you never quite appreciate it. I remember pretty vividly getting my braces on and the several days of soreness that followed. I tried to keep a low profile when I wore them. Every single time I got my bands changed, I only got white. That lasted until the very last time I got them changed. I told my orthodontic hygienist that I wanted my usual but when she finished, she told me to go look in the mirror. After only getting white for two years, it was pretty wild what I saw: Christmas colors!

As you could probably guess, I followed the “rules” when it came to my braces. I didn’t eat popcorn, I very rarely drank soda, and I never entertained the preposterous idea of eating caramel.

Still, even though I took my braces seriously and did what was recommended by my orthodontist, it wasn’t always easy. As a lifelong battler of gum disease, having braces only irritated them more. Visits to the dentist were never fun when I had braces because of the special way they had to clean your teeth.

Despite all that, I persevered. Getting my braces off was one of the most liberating feelings in my life. The confidence I felt was pretty special.

Sadly, 23 years after I got my braces off, one of my bottom front teeth has shifted. So much for that perfectly straight smile. I never got a built-in retainer as my orthodontist gave me ones I could remove. I continued to wear my retainers at night through college but then ceased doing so. My teeth held straight for many years after that but in the past couple years I have experienced the shift. Oh well, it could be worse.

Even though my smile might not be perfect anymore, I am still grateful to my mom and dad for their investment. It at least paid off in the respect that my smile was attractive enough for someone to marry me. Don’t Blink.