33 Might Be Making a Jewel Move - Indianapolis, IN

I was once told by a friend of mine who is a couple of years older than me that things change when you turn 30. I got what he was saying then and it definitely rings true to this day, three years after the fact. Among the apparent mental and physical (and hopefully career) changes, you also evaluate a whole host of things you either abandon or endow care for in your 20's. I was always told I had a unique smile, which is code for marginally acceptable enough not to turn away from when you decide to flash them. Okay, maybe I interjected too fine of a subtext to what could be an innocent and sincere (albeit, offbeat) compliment, but I still have always wanted to have that Hollywood smile for as long as I could remember and the aforementioned compliment just perpetuated that notion. The biggest burden (and I guess as with all us working-to-middle-class Joes and Janes) had always been financial. I had a job that either sucked in benefits or pay, and so the ascetics of my teeth became a lower priority over, say, money for food that the pearlies could chomp into. Something that also predicated my need to change (and at the same time it hindered me) was the fact that I wasn't necessarily doing this for the sake of vanity. I had an actual bite issue: Class III Malocclusion to be exact. At least that's what diagnosis I'd been given by the professionals I consulted with, asking about getting braces only "in passing" whilst undergoing other procedures and given the estimated treatment and cost (tens of thousands when its all said and done). Which meant that I would not only endure the perils of braces for up to 2 years, but jaw surgery and then another round of braces. This meant that it was going to become a bigger ordeal than I'd speculated (as much as a layman can), for something that wasn't necessarily health impacting. All those things I mulled over until I came to a place where I had no more excuses and reservations. I have a good job, inarguably great benefits, and some extra moolah to get the job done, plus I have a high tolerance for pain. You get to a point when you ask why not and if the answers are not satisfying, there is no justification as to why not. (Confusing sentence? Yeah, well no edit folks. This is all one take!)

Last dentist appointment I became serious in changing my smile because as a writer who wanted to make this a career, I would be engaging the public more and my face is ultimately my calling card. So, in essence it's an investment in my business. I first expressed interest to my primary dentist and ironically he didn't seem interested. Well, I suppose since my treatment required outsourcing to an oral surgeon, he wasn't going to tag team on it. But, I didn't have to have the surgery part, did I? I mean, at its core, I am a customer who is paying for services regardless of recommendations (operative word) by the professional tendering said services. So long as it wasn't in conflict of anything moral, I would think. Hell, you don't even have to put me on any of your patient completion stats, and I already sign waivers even in ideal scenarios. So my next step was the "try-tri" method, where I'd vet three orthos and got estimates just for straightening. My first consult was with a doc who's ad was prominently placed on a bus stop billboard at the intersection of his office. He offered the six-month smile. That procedure just addressed the "first six" teeth that prominently show. It was relatively cheap, fast, and addressed the minimal issue was the ascetics of the face teeth. Forget introducing more bite issues and addressing underlying malocclusion. Good thing he refused to treat me. However he did recommend me to what would be the ortho I decided to go with. Details of which are in the next section.