BracesForum.net
English => General => Topic started by: metalfoxy on 07. December 2021, 21:42:46 PM
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Chapter 1
Although I was 18 so technically legally independent I relied on my Dad a lot.
My mum had died when I was 2, I’d never really known her and my dad remarried a couple of years later. Jessica was my step mother. I’d always got the feeling she had never liked me but tolerated me. There was no awful experiences just running tension. She didn’t have children of her own and took me on as hers.
My dad travelled a lot for business and always had, Jessica often left me with grandparents while he was away – spending time with her friends and her own family instead.
I had trouble at school – always trying my hardest but struggling academically. We had multiple meetings and agreed a decelerated programme would be better for me.
I got to take the same number of classes as other peers but got longer to do them – if they had 1 year then I had 2. It would mean I wouldn’t finish school until I was 19/20 but ultimately I would pass and could go onto further education if I wanted rather than failing and being stuck.
This infuriated Jessica because it meant I was stuck at home for longer.
She always pestered my dad about me getting a job and ‘paying my way’ but we had just enough money and my dad didn’t think it was a priority while we could afford for me not to and so I could focus on my studies.
One thing I was into was my netball, it helped me to release my frustrations and gave me something to focus on that I was good at. Jessica hated that I did this weekly, it kept me fit and healthy but she saw it as a distraction and thought I could be using my time better.
As I didn’t have a job or my own money it meant I needed help and support from my dad and Jessica. Luckily we lived close enough to my school that I could walk there and back but if I needed to go further to friends or appointments then I needed driving there.
On a bleak Monday morning I was sat at the dentist with Jessica who drove me. It was the 6 monthly check up and I had no anxieties as I knew my teeth were in good shape. Jessica insisted on coming in as she always did at any of my appointments. As the chair reclined I saw Jessica flicking through her phone, awaiting the end so we could go home. The dentist tapped away at my teeth like usual. His brow creased as he frowned and grunted slightly.
He muttered something to his assistant and then finished up his exam of me. As he raised the chair he scooted himself round to the side of me and looked between me and Jessica, “so decision time then”. I looked at him questioningly as Jessica raised her eyes from her phone, waiting for him to continue. “It looks as though your wisdom teeth have come through now, which is what we wanted but unfortunately it’s caused some crowding that we didn’t forsee…” Jessica narrowed her eyes at him with a smirk on her face as her eyes flicked over to me.
“I think the decision you need to make is whether it bothers you enough to proceed with treatment.”
I glanced between him and Jessica “what type of treatment?”, he shrugged casually “braces. I can recommend a few orthodontists that previous patients have had good outcomes with”.
I turned to face Jessica, a slightly panicked look on my face – silently communicating to her that she should shut this conversation down and we could move on with our days. Instead of following my prompt, what came next surprised me “Oh that’s a surprise, she hasn’t needed them in the past but it’s a good job you’ve picked up on it now before it’s too late. We wont be needing any recommendations though, one of my close friends is an orthodontist and I’ll make sure he takes really good care of Ellie”
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Chapter 2
We walked through the front door with Jessica still practically grinning ear to ear. She chucked her keys down and turned to me. As she spoke her voice came out practically singing with glee “Well, well, well – imagine getting to 18 without a single cavity or anything and suddenly you’ll be starting adulthood in braces.” I shrugged my shoulders slightly, trying to act like I didn’t care even though my heart was beating quicker than normal “well, only if I decide to go ahead with it. It’s not like it’s desperately needed” she snorted slightly, and her eyes glistened with joy “oh trust me, you’ll be going ahead with it if you want to continue living here and relying on us”. Anger bubbled up inside me, but I decided not to engage with an argument. I was 18, I could choose what I wanted and didn’t want by myself. Besides, even if I did decide it was the right choice, I would just get those invisible braces, nobody would know and I’d probably be finished in a couple of months. I went to get my school stuff together and walked the 10-minute journey there, silently contemplating what I was going to choose.
After a long, mentally gruelling day of classes I finally arrived home at 6pm, hoping to have dinner and complete my homework early. I saw my dad’s car in the driveway which was unusual for him to be home before me. As I pushed the front door open, I could smell dinner cooking and could hear hushed conversation between Jessica and my dad. I quickly packed my school things away and headed into the kitchen to join them where they quickly exchanged glances then fell silent. My dad recovered quickly and asked me about my school day, we chatted as we set the table for dinner. Jessica passed us our plates and we all settled at the table, casual conversation flowing.
Towards the end of the meal Jessica took a long sip of water then turned towards me “so, I was filling your dad in on the news from earlier…” I stared at her silently as she continued “we both agreed it’s necessary for you to do this even though it might not be the most fun.” I stopped eating, pushing my plate away “Well, like I said earlier – I’ve not really decided yet what I’m going to do plus there will be a big cost for it so there is a lot to consider”.
Jessica and my dad looked at each other silently, communicating through their expressions as my heart began to race. My dad spoke up this time “Well, your dentist thinks it’s needed and we don’t want any adverse reactions to your oral health further down the line so it’s important you go ahead with it. We have some savings set aside for things like this that we will be happy to use – besides, Jessica’s friend is an orthodontist and when she spoke to him this afternoon he was more than happy to offer his services at a discounted rate.”
I clasped my hands together anxiously, feeling like I was being pushed into a corner here “erm, well yes I’ll think about it.” Jessica looked at me and smirked, she reached out and took my hand condescendingly and spoke slowly “Your dad and I had a serious discussion earlier. You have a tendency to avoid things that you don’t want to do. This is so important for your health and you probably cant see it right now but this treatment really will be for the best” I opened my mouth to protest again but Jessica beat me to it, she glanced at Dad before saying “We actually think it’s so important that not only will be pay for it despite you being 18 but if you choose not to go ahead, then we will have to consider how much we do for you. The lifts to your friends houses will have to stop, as will all the money we give you. This isn’t a punishment but we want you to know this is serious stuff now Ellie”. I clenched my jaw shut, trying to hide my frustration as I thought about what they were telling me. I nodded silently and started to stand up to go to my room. Jessica smiled sarcastically again “The best news is, John has a cancellation on Wednesday after school so I told him we’d gladly take that for your initial consultation”. I returned her smile tightly “great, I can’t wait”.
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I like where this is going.
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great start :-* :-* :-*
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Chapter 3
The next two days went quickly and I suddenly found myself sitting in Jessicas car outside the orthodontist. Fear was bubbling away as I did not know what I was letting myself in for. I had checked out her friends website and did not see any mention or Invisalign or clear brackets so that was going to be an interesting conversation to have.
I had begged my dad to reconsider but he said that he was thinking about me in the long run. Both him and Jessica said it was my decision – I was an adult and they couldn’t force me but they wouldn’t enable my ‘bad behaviours’ by funding my lifestyle. Since I wanted to go to school and make something out of my life I realised I had no choice. I needed to continue living with them and couldn’t afford anything else right now.
We stepped inside and the smell immediately hit me. There was a quiet buzz all around and I took a seat as Jessica checked me in, I looked at all the posters and checked out the other people in the waiting room. My knee bounced nervously as time stretched on, after we had been sat there for about 10 minutes a young woman called my name and both me and Jessica stood up. My knees went to jelly as we walked along the long corridor, Jessica placed her arm around my back – looking like a supportive stepmother but actually pushing me along.
The assistant led us into the exam room where a very tall man was seated looking at my notes. He turned to see us and smiled broadly, he reached out and embraced Jessica and then greeted me. He signalled for me to take a seat while him and Jessica chatted. It wasn’t unusual for me not to know her friends as I was often away at my grandparents but I grew more nervous as I realised how close they appeared to be. Jessica could be charming and I suddenly became more aware of how much control she had over my treatment.
After what felt like forever the chair was slowly reclined and I opened my mouth for John to examine my teeth. There was a lot of mumbling to his assistant and “hmms” or “uh-huhs”. Eventually he stopped poking around and began to sit me up “Alright then Ellie, I’ve had a good look and I’d agree you definitely need braces. I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to get in. As well as the crowing your bite could do with some work and we can definitely straighten those front teeth out. What we’ll do now is I’ll get Sarah to take you for some x-rays while I speak to Jess about the treatment plan then when you get back we’ll confirm everything with you and if you’re happy we’ll go ahead and take some impressions. How does that sound?” It all sounded like it was moving so quickly but a quick look at Jessica showed there was no getting away from it so I just nodded and meekly followed Sarah to the x-ray room. After dozens of x-rays and measurements Sarah led me back towards the exam room again, as we pushed the door open I could hear John and Jessica laughing and joking together casually. They both turned to look at me, Jessica had a huge grin on her face and her eyes were practically sparkling with joy again. John got me to sit in the chair and positioned himself between me and Jessica. The anxiety grew in my stomach as I sensed some big changes ahead.
“So we have had a chat, Jess is totally on board with the treatment plan – now we just need to check if you are too. I understand your Dad and Jess are paying for this which is awfully nice of them considering your age” I forced a smile onto my face as I looked between them both, wishing he would hurry up and tell me what his ‘plan’ was.
He cleared his throat and proceeded “now I won’t bore you with too many names or details that won't make sense but our thoughts are we would start off by widening your arches, we would need to position your jaws properly and we would want to align your teeth. It would mean using some appliances as well as upper and lower braces. Probably for around 18 months.”
My jaw dropped slightly; I had expected around 6 months. My teeth looked fine to me. I glanced over at Jessica who looked like she was trying to hold in her laughter. I stuttered as I tried to process this information, “Erm, well – I looked online and saw Invisalign or clear braces. Could we maybe do that?”
John looked at me sympathetically as he shook his head “I’m afraid not. Invisalign wont correct your bite and the clear braces aren’t strong enough for some of the forces we need. You’ve actually got quite a few problems and we really need to get on top of them as soon as possible to prevent any further damage.” I swallowed loudly, trying to calm my breathing down but suddenly feeling like things had totally spiralled out of control “You said appliances? What types?” John looked over at Jessica briefly and started “well, expanders, maybe some removeable appliances to correct your bite, we may have to switch to ones that stay in, probably an extraoral device. We’ll discuss them all in more detail closer to the time though.” As I sat thinking about it, I remembered the ultimatum from my dad and sighed as I agreed to the treatment. John sent his assistant off and began taking the impressions he needed.
I gagged as he did the upper jaw but thankfully the lower seemed easy in comparison. After another 15 minutes of opening, closing, prodding and poking John sat me up again. “Right, Sarah has brought in your contracts now if you could check them and sign them?” I was confused by this – I’d never heard of a contract before. My expression must have given it away because John chuckled lightly and told me “It’s standard here. We want to ensure people stick to their treatment and this ensures that happens. Also, because you’re not paying for your treatment yourself it gives your dad and Jess a bit of security that you are on board with the treatment and they can rest assured their money is being well spent.”
This made sense so I quickly flipped through the pages and signed them before handing them to Jessica to co-sign since she was down as the person paying.
John smiled cheerfully “Right then, lay back – we’ll get your spacers in today and look in the diary for a slot for you to come in for the fitting appointment.”
I followed the instructions numbly and laid back and opened my mouth again, tuning everything out as John fitted all the spacers. It was only as he sat me back up that I realised quite how many he had put in. 6 on the top and 6 on the bottom, surrounding all of my molars. I tried to feel them with my finger but John quickly warned me to leave them alone incase I pushed them out. I sat like a child who had been told off as him and Jessica compared schedules then agreed on Sunday morning at 9am for my fitting appointment. My stomach did flips as I realised that was only a few days away. John quickly went through some aftercare advice and cheerfully wished us goodbye. Jessica continued to grin away while my mouth began to throb and I questioned how everything had happened so quickly. I made a mental note to google some different appliances John mentioned as I had no idea about orthodontics so needed to know what I’d let myself in for.
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Really great story... looking for more and it looks like she getting a mouthful of braces and other appliances.
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Great start!
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Chapter 4
Sunday morning my alarm buzzed and I quickly reached over to snooze it. Less than a minute later Jessica bound in to my room, opening the curtains quickly and coming over to my bed “Goooood Morning! Time to get up, we’ve got to leave in 45 minutes – don’t forget to brush your teeth properly, it’ll be the last time you get to do that for a while!”
Her fake cheerfulness made me resent her even more but I knew I had no choice but to get up, I rolled out of bed and gathered my clothes together then headed off to the bathroom.
I got into a hot shower and thought about how today would go. My friends had braces when we were younger but I had no real idea of what to expect. I had been online checking out different appliances but without knowing specific names or which problems I had to correct it was hard to find what I could be in for. Many of the appliances looked evil though and I was hoping I was in for something easier.
I quickly got myself dressed and then brushed my teeth thoroughly, staring at them in the mirror and imagining what they would look like in a couple of hours. I pulled my phone out and took a couple of selfies so I could do a before/after photo. I quickly sent it to my friends on our groupchat and they wished me luck for today. Jessica called for me so I quickly rushed downstairs, she asked if I wanted anything for breakfast but I was too nervous to eat so we climbed into the car.
Jessica tried to make small talk but the feeling of dread was growing more in my stomach and I could only just bring myself to respond, finally she got bored of trying to initiate conversation and said “nothing for you to worry about today, I’ve known John for over 20 years. He’s a great orthodontist and I spoke to him again last night – he’s got great plans for your teeth.” The anxiety was making me grumpy “I don’t know why you’re getting involved anyway, it’s my dads money paying for it. It’s nothing to do with you and I don’t need you calling him to check up on my treatment”. Anger flashed over Jessica’s eyes but she held it back and said calmly “It has everything to do with me, it’s OUR money – not just your dads. Anyway, me, your dad and John all talked and agreed that since your dad is away so much it’s best I take control of all of this – they’ll need our input and I can be the one to put our opinions across to make sure you’re getting the best outcomes from your treatment.” I snorted slightly “there won’t be any decisions for you to make – I’m 18 remember?” Jessica smirked slightly, “remember those contracts you signed? Did you read them?” my face faltered slightly as she continued “they essentially said since we are paying we have control and you signed your consent over for us to be in charge of your treatment as if you were a minor. You have no say over what you wear or when you wear it. If you don’t comply then there are other consequences that we can enforce and if you don’t like it then you’ll be breaching the contract and will have to pay the fine of £30,000. Do you have that kind of money?” My jaw dropped again, I hadn’t read the contracts fully but surely that couldn’t be right? They couldn’t make me do things I didn’t want to.
Jessica sneered again “you can check with John, it’s all true. He works mostly with kids who are non-compliant and whose parents have signed their rights over to John to decide whatever he thinks will be best. John is very fussy and won't stop until you’ve got the best possible outcome – he’ll use whatever is necessary. Besides, it’ll do you good to have to do what you’re told for once. You are a bit of a spoiled brat – you don’t listen or respect me. Well guess what? You’ll have to listen to me now. Why do you think I convinced your dad to choose John? We can make sure that those ‘little’ braces of yours aren’t so little. Your dad agrees that you need to take my wishes a bit more seriously – that’s why he’s happy for me to be taking the lead on this, he thinks it could be a bonding experience for us both!”
My heart was pounding and my hands were clammy. I turned and faced away from her for the rest of the journey, I began to think that I wasn’t going to get the nice easy appliances. I would have to talk to my dad when he was back Friday.
Jessica pulled up outside the office and got out the car quickly, leading the way inside and cheerfully greeting John. The office was empty of any other patients and John noticed me looking around “Oh, it’s just us today – I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to focus on the most important patient and give you the time. It’ll take a few hours anyway to get everything in. I’ve got my other assistant Amelia in today to help us out – you’re getting the VIP treatment”. I attempted to smile politely but feeling like I may be sick with nerves. Jessica glanced at me then back at John “Ellie wasn’t too sure about the contracts..” John chuckled loudly “Nothing to worry about with them, they’re really just in place for the problem patients who won't wear their appliances or headgear. I’m sure you’ll be the model patient and we won’t have to enforce them. Besides – with Jess taking charge with the decision making it means less worry for you as you don’t need to stress with what’s next. You just do as you’re told to and you’ll have a stress free experience and beautiful teeth at the end of it!” That didn’t make my nerves any less – if anything quite the opposite but I was determined not to give Jessica the satisfaction of seeing that. She had the smug look on her face as John led us both back to the exam room where Amelia was getting things set up for us.
There was trays of equipment lined up at the back but I didn’t get a good look before I was ushered down into the chair. Amelia clipped a bib onto me and perched the dental goggles over my eyes. I tapped my foot nervously as everyone settled themselves in. Jessica snapped a quick photo for my dad as I rolled my eyes. She pulled out a book and John scooted over and lowered me down ready to begin. His eyes crinkled over the top of his mask as he smiled “Ready for this then?”
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I have a request. Could you number the chapters so that it is easier to keep track of where you are in the story? It can be chapter 1, chapter 2, etc or part 1, 2, 3, etc.
I'm just starting to read through your story and like what I see so far.
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Great start. Can’t wait to see where this goes.
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really enjoying this so far!
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Very good story!
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This is starting off well. Centering the story on Ellie and Jessica's relationship was definitely a good move.
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Can't wait to read more!
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Great start, looking forward to reading more
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Great story. Cannot wait for more.
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Wild thought: If Dad thought this could be a "bonding experience" for Jess and Ellie....
Maybe she should be bonded also. Maybe as a surprise?
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Really nice start of this story.... Looking forward for the next chapter and excited about Ellis treatment
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Amelia turned the light on and pointed it directly at my mouth. She placed a lip spreader in that seemed far too wide and felt like it was going to split my lips, my tongue was pushed back into a holder and 2 small blocks were placed between my molars to keep my mouth open as they cleaned my teeth.
Amelia set about scrubbing my teeth, then putting some acid etching on. Even though my mouth was kept open I could still taste it and it was awful. Finally she rinsed it all away and suctioned the water out.
The blocks between my teeth were taken out and Amelia handed John something. He placed it in my mouth and fiddled around for a bit. After a while he took it back out and told Amelia to get the cement ready and give him the bottom one. He followed the same process again before returning to the top and getting me to open wide. He had me bite down on a stick for at least 10 times each side and I felt pressure in my gums slightly around my molars. Next he moved onto the bottom, getting me to bite down countless times again. Amelia carried on suctioning my mouth regularly as my jaw began to ache. After he continued to bend wires inside I realised this was my expanders. My tongue was still pushed away and my mouth wide open so I couldn’t feel them at all. Next he moved onto placing the brackets. He put glue on my front 6 teeth, top and bottom then put the brackets on, making sure they were perfectly in place. Amelia used the light to set the glue and John asked for the archwire, I figured we were near the end and my heart began to beat quicker again – unsure of what I was going to feel in a minute.
John got me to bite down and made an unsatisfied noise. He got me to bite down a few more times and then called Jessica over to look at my teeth, I suddenly felt ridiculous laying there with the three of them peering over me and hoped this would be over with quickly “When Ellie bites down, you see how her top teeth are too close to the brackets?” Jessica hummed in agreement although I had no doubt she had no idea what he was on about. He grabbed my jaw and repositioned it “We want the top teeth in this position or they might bite off those lower brackets” I tried to swallow as I felt another adaptation was coming. “We need to add something to stop it, obviously I haven’t prepared for this today so will have to improvise a bit. I can add some turbos to the top of her back molars to change the bite or I can add some small bite blocks to the back of her front teeth. Personally, I’d rather try the front teeth until I can get something more permanent. It will mean chewing will be more difficult though?”
I looked at Jessica pleadingly, trying to convey that I didn’t want anymore difficultly than needed but she smiled slightly at me then turned back to John “Well let’s go with the front teeth then, you’re the expert – besides we want her to have the best smile and she’ll learn to adapt”.
My mouth was opened once again and John set about gluing two small blocks to the back of my front teeth. Amelia used the blue light to cure them again and then blasted all the brackets with water and suctioned it all away again. My jaw was throbbing from being open for so long, although I couldn’t tell exactly how long I had been laying there, and I was beginning to get anxious about what he had put in and how it would all affect me. After what felt like forever with them both poking around and making extra changes they finally took the lip spreader out.
I caught Jessica staring at me smugly as I attempted to keep the panic off of me face. Now I could feel everything fully I realised how full my mouth was. I had a top expander that was attached to all my back molars and pre-molars, it went across the roof of my mouth and dug into my tongue, the bottom expander also covered my molars and pre-molars and sat snugly behind my front teeth, it felt like my tongue was being pushed in an awkward place. I felt the bulky boxes behind my two front teeth and realised that because my lower teeth hit them they actually kept my jaw open by at least a cm.
I slid my tongue around my front teeth and cringed as the cold metal hit my tongue. It all felt so alien to me. All three of them were staring at me expectedly and I tried to swallow but realised the saliva was pooling in my mouth and I had to suck it back.
“I caaat cloth my moof” My cheeks were bright red and my eyes went wide as I realised how difficult it was to talk with this all. John nodded blankly “Yes, as we said – chewing will be a bit more difficult now the rest of your teeth don’t touch but it is possible – lots of people manage. Speaking is very hard at first but with more practice it’ll get a lot easier. Soon you’ll forget you even have a lisp”
I looked at Jessica, trying to get an ounce of sympathy from her but was met with patronising look instead. “Any tips for Ellie to get there quicker?” John nodded eagerly – “yes, get her to read out loud. Lots of people try and hide away so people don’t hear them but the more you practice the better it is. I know you’ll feel self conscious at first but many young people have braces and they get over that quickly. Just embrace it and remember it’ll all be worth it in the end. I’ll get Jessica over here and we can show her how to turn the expander.” He looked up briefly “I assume you’ll be the one doing it for Ellie?” Before I could respond and shoot down this suggestion she had smiled widely and nodded quickly, standing up and coming over to get her instructions. I tried to resist now, “Pleath, I can do ith mythelf, thith ith tho embarrathing”. She stood over me and patted me shoulder “it’s really not THAT bad, now open up so John can show me”.
I closed my eyes tightly and opened my jaw again – ignoring the pain that was beginning in my teeth. John took a small paperclip type key “now, this is an adaptation of the normal expander – usually people have 1 turn but I want you to do at least 2 each night – top and bottom. We need to work on getting the jaw wider ASAP then we can keep them in for retention. So, first put this in that slot right here and then we push” There was a click in my mouth and my tongue instinctively came up but John pushed it straight back down – right now Jessica, you try it”. She reached in and clicked it again and there was a small ache that began instantly. She moved onto the bottom which felt worse and pinched the skin under my tongue. They sat me up and I felt all around my mouth again, the reality kicking in as my jaw was held open by the blocks, filled with metal on the top and bottom inside my mouth then my lips puffed all over the brackets. A small dribble of saliva dripped out my lips and suddenly it all became too much and my eyes filled with tears which I tried to blink away furiously. Jessica looked at me with fake sympathy “You are being SO brave Ellie, your Dad is going to be so proud of you”. John reached behind the chair again “You are doing well Ellie, Just one more thing to fit and you can get on with you day”.
The shock that they were planning for anything else to fit into my mouth was unbelievable as the chair reclined slightly again and my heart began to skip…
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John opened a plastic box and produced a lump of soft plastic with grooves for my teeth to sit, he motioned for me to open my mouth again and I obliged silently. He slipped the lump of plastic in and suddenly mouth my felt even more cramped than I thought possible.
The device was similar to a sports guard for braces. The plastic sat between my two jaws with my teeth slotting into the grooves for them. The plastic extended over my entire teeth so only my gums were visible. John slipped it out again and adjusted it before putting it back in. Without the suction in my mouth the saliva build up was awful and I had to slurp again which was so embarrassing.
“So this device needs to be worn 12 hours a day, it isn’t clipped in – it just sits in the mouth and brings the lower jaw forward to the right position. Because it isn’t secured if you move your mouth too much it may slip so its important to bite down when wearing it. It needs to go in after dinner and stay in until the next morning. Talking is difficult with this but it’s important to persevere – we want to use the least invasive methods possible’ John played around with my lips and tried to get them to close over the device but because it was so bulky this was impossible. Amelia blotted my lips as drool pooled over again and I wanted to curl up with embarrassment. “Hff lngs do I hff t veer it?” Jessica snickered slightly as I shuddered as I realised that talking wasn’t difficult – it was impossible but John somehow understood – “It’s difficult to say how long right now – probably around 9 months of night time wear if things progress well.” 9 months?! I couldn’t put up with this for 9 months for 12 hours a day! John slipped it out my mouth and back into the box then passed it to Jessica. He passed me a mirror and smiled widely “ready for the big reveal then?”
I took a deep breath and raised the mirror up to my face. My lips were puffed out and glimpses of metal poked through, you could tell me jaw was open slightly and I forced my lips open to stare at the mess that awaited me. The metal brackets seemed bigger than those I’d seen before and seemed to take up most of my teeth. I gasped in horror slightly as I realised how obvious the bands were as they extended up to my premolars and were clearly visible at all times. I didn’t dare to open my mouth to look at the expanders incase I cried right here. I quickly passed the mirror back and took a deep breath to calm myself down before trying to change their minds “Can’th we thake thomething out? Ith a loth” Jessica spoke up before John could answer “Remember your contract Ellie, this is all for your own good.” I rolled my eyes and looked at John expectantly, as if he would have a change of heart and realise Invisalign would work better. Instead he cheerfully declared “Jessica is reight and your teeth are going to be perfect at the end of this! A little short term pain and embarrassment for a lifetime of oral health seems worth it to me!” I smiled weakly, realising I was going to have no luck here and though I could just talk to my Dad later to get him to talk some sense into them both. I attempted to listen as Amelia went through some oral care instructions with me as Jessica made me smile widely for another photo– I wanted nothing more than to disappear but I had to play along or appear like a spoiled brat. Finally Jessica scheduled another appointment with John and they waved me goodbye with a stern warning from John that he would be checking my compliance with my appliance at the next visit.
We walked to the car and I slouched into the passenger seat, pulling out my phone and staring at myself in the front camera again – trying to push down the lump in my throat and thinking that it wouldn’t be the end of the world for a few months. Jessica rubbed her hands together “Now, the worst bit of the day is done – I think you deserve a treat for being a trooper there!” I quickly resisted but it was no use and I realised that it wasn’t a treat – it was just further punishment and she was determined for me to be out in public as soon as possible to prolong my suffering. I slurped back my saliva again and shrunk down into my seat, hoping to slip in and out of a few shops un-noticed then going home and nurse my ego for a bit.
Jessica chatted away how excited she was for me that the changes would be evident soon and said that my lisp was actually ‘adorable’. The resentment was bubbling away inside me as she antagonised me but I was determined not to give her a reaction.
We pulled up to the shops and I noticed how busy it was, I begged not to have to go but Jessica wouldn’t relent – she said I needed to get used to being seen and I could even practice talking. I begged her but she insisted so we went out, I kept my face low as people walked past. I tried to swallow discretely but still felt like I was gagging everytime as my mouth was so full.
After a couple of hours of wandering aimlessly Jessica finally got bored and we went home. My teeth were throbbing, my jaws felt like they were shuddering by being kept open all the time and the pressure in my upper and lower palates was growing more by the minute. I’d had enough and wanted to get into bed for a nap.
As we walked in I grabbed some painkillers, some water and then headed upstairs. I attempted to put the tablets in my mouth but couldn’t swallow them properly – it took about 5 attempts to actually get them down. I settled myself on the edge of my bed and finally summoned up the courage to get a proper look in my mouth, I picked up my mirror and opened widely. The mass of metal looked even worse now I was home and stuck with it all. I put my tongue up to the palate expander and poked it then pressed some of the brackets, a shooting pain ran through my mouth and this was the final straw – I broke into tears which escalated to sobs. They ran down my face and chin, I had to keep sucking my saliva back and ended up dribbling all over myself which made me worse. I laid down on my pillow and let the tears flow freely until I fell asleep.
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Nice job! What a mouthful!
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Great story so far! Keep up the good work!
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Hehehe, what a 'treatment'. Poor Ellie, it's going to get worse for her before it gets better.
I do like the idea of the stepmother being put in braces- What's fair is fair!
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Very good story, I like it very much!
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Really nice story and treatment with a mouthful of appliances... please keep going on this good story
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Nice update!
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Great story !!!! I love the stepmother's sadicity !
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Poor Ellie got to feel sorry for her although I know we would all think she looks hot if we saw her. I totally agree Jessica should,d end up having treatment too just remember karmas a bitch!!
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great story!
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Loving this, please continue!
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Hey metalfoxy,
you wrote a great story. I would like to read more about Ellis' treatment. When are you going to continue writing?
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I woke up a couple of hours later – it was now early evening and I could hear Jessica chatting away. My heart sped up as I hoped we didn’t have visitors – I couldn’t face seeing anyone right now. I quickly nipped to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face to attempt to control the swollen, red eyes. I crept down the stairs, trying to figure out who she could be talking to. As I got to the bottom Jessica was turning the corner – ready to come upstairs, the phone was pressed to her ear “Ah here she is! Hold on, we’ll video you”.
My eyes widened and I shook my head quickly but Jessica persisted “It’s your Dad, he wants to see you!” The ringing came loudly through as we waited for my dad to accept the video and suddenly his face popped up on the screen, “Ahh hello darling! Rough morning?” he chuckled slightly at himself but I couldn’t bring myself to humour him, my face was long and grumpy and he quickly changed tactics “come on then, let me see what my money is buying me!”
I attempted to smile but it came out more as a grimace. I thought that would be enough but Jessica’s fingers lifted my lips and I stood there like an idiot as the pointed out all the new additions to my mouth. Finally the show was over and she stopped talking. Dad’s face looked as shocked as mine but he quickly recovered “Well, it seems like a lot but you’re beautiful as always! Besides, it’s not forever is it?” The bluntness of it made me want to cry again, I wanted to scream that it didn’t matter if it was forever or 2 months – I still had to face everyone I knew looking and sounding like an idiot and I was mortified. Instead I nodded again and quickly said my goodbyes and went to hide away watching tv for a bit.
My phone was buzzing away in the group chat so I picked it up and read all the questions about my braces. I decided to bite the bullet and took a selfie, attempting to show them off in their fully glory without looking totally ugly. I watched as they all saw the photos and began typing, then stopped typing, then began again.
They were all shocked by the ‘heaviness’ of them but attempted to reassure me that weren’t TOO bad. My mouth was still throbbing and my predicament was sinking in now. A few more tears slipped down my cheeks as I wallowed in my own self pity.
After a while Jessica came in to get me for dinner. She had made pasta which was soft. I picked up a piece and put it in my mouth but quickly realised the bite blocks meant my molars weren’t touching which made eating impossible. On top of this it seemed the food gravitated towards my palate expander. I tried to mash a few pieces of pasta around my mouth and swallowed them but it was taking forever. My front teeth were so tender but I decided to try and use them to eat. This was slightly more successful but it still wasn’t pretty and it would be a while before I would be happy eating in front of others. I caught Jessica smirking throughout the meal and shame burnt through me, my cheeks red and my shoulders slumped up. She offered me a nice cool smoothie which actually helped then sat me down to do the expanders. I tried to protest explaining John had done them earlier but she assured me she’d checked and he said to carry on tonight as normal. My mouth felt like it was going to shatter as she pushed the key backwards but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of groaning with the pain. Finally she was done and she ushered me upstairs to brush my teeth before putting in the night time appliance. I clicked it in and almost immediately the aching increased in my jaws. I decided to ask if she would relent and let the pain settle before I started wearing this ‘ieeff hhrrss fooo moos’ Her face broke into a smile “oh sweetie, that’s so cute. John said talking with that would be difficult, he wasn’t kidding was he?” My face burned with shame and I reached up to take the appliance out but Jessica quickly pushed my hands down “no no, I know it is a bit tricky but John said it’s important you wear it for 12 hours every day after dinner. You’ll get used to it. You can still text all your friends. Besides, you don’t want him to think you’re not listening to his instructions – you are on the compliance plan after all…” Her tone of voice indicated she would have no problem reporting me as an uncompliant trouble maker so I sighed in resignation and trudged off to my bedroom. I sunk down onto my bed, thinking about tomorrow and how everyone would react at school. Tears welled up in my eyes again but this time I let them flow freely and sobbed into my pillow, staying in this position until I’d tired myself out and fell into an unrestful sleep.
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If I imagine that I could only mumble to communicate with all the equipment and then in the evening I would also have something like a tennis ball in my mouth that makes it completely impossible to speak, in connection with the pain - I would probably never leave the house again.
And this stepmother who is playing her position to the max. Elli is really at her mercy. On the one hand, I don't want to swap places with her, on the other hand, you might be grateful to her stepmother afterwards, when everything turned out great.
I'm really glad that I only had elastics for my fixed braces.
I am looking forward to the sequel.
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Hi metalfoxy, I weally like whewe thith ith going. Thankth fow the latetht chaptew!
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I'm glad to see that this story is being added to.
I like to see how the different writers come up with ideas to put into their stories.
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I really hope Jessica gets her just desserts soo ide live to see her suffering as much as poor Ellie
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I like to see how the different writers come up with ideas to put into their stories.
Yes, this story is just so different from what I write, but that has got to be good! Variety makes life so much more interesting!
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Really enjoyed reading this story! Will there be any more to it? It's just so good!!!
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Love the story! Thank you!
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Amazing story, hope it continues!
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Chapter 8
I woke up the next morning, my eyes still slightly swollen from the crying last night. A feeling of anxiety filled me and I had to breathe deeply to stop myself heaving as the gross taste of metal and plastic filled my mouth. I quickly took the night-time appliance out and then I lay in bed, swaddled up in the blankets trying to think of ways of get out of going to school today. Finally, Jessica came in and light flooded my bedroom. “GOOD MORNING” I grunted in acknowledgement as she sat on the edge of my bed. She smiled kindly at me ‘I know today you’re supposed to be at school, but I bet you’re pretty sore. Do you want to hang out here today? We can watch some tv, I’ve got a bit of work to do and you can let that pain settle a bit before facing everyone tomorrow – I understand it must be daunting having everyone see all that. You can practice talking some more too, get that lisp down a bit?” Relief flooded over me and I gently hugged Jessica, thinking that maybe she wasn’t all that bad – that maybe she understood how it was to be a teenager with all this metal shoved in there “yeth, thath wouth be greath, thanths”. She smiled sweetly at me and left me to get up and dressed.
I went downstairs where Jessica had got me some yoghurt and painkillers ready. The cool juice felt great in my mouth and I managed to get a few spoonfuls of the yoghurt down without too much trouble. I ran my tongue gingerly across my teeth and they throbbed with even this light touch. I tried to get my lips to close to cover the braces but the big brackets constantly pushed my lips apart with the shiny metal gleaming through – I would need to practice before tomorrow to stop people from staring at me. I felt self conscious enough at home let alone going out in public like this.
The morning went on quickly as I watched junk tv and topped up the painkillers every 4 hours. Jessica was typing away on her computer but suddenly the doorbell went and she jumped up eagerly. My heart rate increased dramatically as I sensed something was going on and I was proved right as 2 of her work friends walked in, I could hear them talking quietly and I sensed by their cooing that they were talking about me. I quickly sat up, getting ready to try and escape to my room but just as I was about to stand up the women appeared in front of me
“Hey sweetie, how are you?” I tried to smile quickly with my lips shut as much as I could manage and mumbled a “fine thanks”. They stood there, clearly trying to get a peek and after a few seconds Jessica spoke up “I was telling these two about your new braces – I said it was a big adjustment but Helen’s daughter is about to get braces too so I thought I’d show yours off, of course hers won't be anywhere near as extensive as yours” she quickly turned towards her friends “ Ellie is a special case you see, she needs a LOT of work done. Unfortunately we are having to foot the bill since she’s still in school so John – you know John? Well he is doing the treatment” Both women’s eyes widened slightly as Jessica talked and finally the older woman said “well that explains why they’re so…erm..well…THERE. John is quite infamous for some brutal methods isn’t he?” Jessica smiled slightly then turned back to me “yes, well – as I said Ellie is a very special case and we wanted to make sure she followed everything properly”. The women murmured in approval and then said their goodbyes as they settled down to work. My cheeks were burning red with embarrassment and I suddenly knew that tomorrow wouldn’t be as straight forward as I had hoped. The anxious feeling started up in my stomach and I knew I was in for a long road ahead.
The following morning came around and despite my hopes that I would be able to stay at home again, Jessica came in and woke me up ready for school. I tried to muster some enthusiasm but felt sick with nerves. Jessica insisted on driving me this morning and I was sure it was to make sure I actually went in. As the car got closer to school my heart rate sped up and I felt my palms get sweaty. Jessica pulled up outside and I turned to her, pleading for some more time off. She smiled, pretending to care “Today is going to be hard, the next few weeks will be hard but delaying it isn’t going to help either. Is it embarrassing having all that metal in your mouth? Yes. Could it be worse? Yes. Is it the end of the world? No. Take a deep breath and in you go.” I groaned but realised I wasn’t going to win this battle so gathered my bag and got out, trying to keep my head down as much as possible.
My friends all saw me and came over to inspect my mouth, they couldn’t hide the shock of it and although they offered me lots of support the tears still gathered in my eyes.
Throughout the day I attempted to stay as quiet as possible, only answering if absolutely needed and I kept my head down. Most people saw the braces and although they did a second glance they didn’t say anything which definitely helped.
At lunchtime I managed a yoghurt but didn’t do anything else for fear of embarrassing myself. By the end of the day even my friends had got used to my new look and I began to think it wouldn’t be as bad as I first thought.
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Keep up the good work
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More please lol
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Thanks for the update~~~ :-* :-* :-*
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No matter how long it takes, it is always nice to see new chapters added. Keep working on it and give us more.
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This is really good!!
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Any chance this will be continued? It's really great!
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Wild thought: If Dad thought this could be a "bonding experience" for Jess and Ellie....
Maybe she should be bonded also. Maybe as a surprise?
I think that this a a great idea @tdella! This is such a great story. It would be great for you to add more on, whenever possible. I like the different style of writing from most, and the actual reasoning behind all the appliances versus the here is your headgear, braces, and 15 appliances approach.
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I really want to continue it, I know exactly what story I want to happen with the braces. I just can’t seem to write the fluff in between. So I could write every orthodontist appointment easily but not how to get her to each one!
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You can write whatever you want to write and we would still love it!
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I really want to continue it, I know exactly what story I want to happen with the braces. I just can’t seem to write the fluff in between. So I could write every orthodontist appointment easily but not how to get her to each one!
Put yourself there... try and describe what you would do..... run the scenario in your mind, see what possibilities come up!
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I honestly wouldn't even mind if it was just the appointments with a small paragraph talking about the build-up to it. Something like "For the next few weeks Ellie adjusted to her braces. Then..." Any material is good material.
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I agree, I don't care if you skip over the in between bits
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Any new material is always appreciated. While I like longer chapters, even shorter updates are always enjoyed.
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I honestly wouldn't even mind if it was just the appointments with a small paragraph talking about the build-up to it. Something like "For the next few weeks Ellie adjusted to her braces. Then..." Any material is good material.
Totally agree.
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I really want to continue it, I know exactly what story I want to happen with the braces. I just can’t seem to write the fluff in between. So I could write every orthodontist appointment easily but not how to get her to each one!
There's no 'problem' with writing a story that's more episodic than complete novel, however much we might like to think you have to cover everything.
Others have given you some ideas, but what I like to do is think of a situation where braces would come up, put my character there, and use that as a lever. The grocery store, work or college, chance meeting with an old friend... Lots of things can happen on the way to an orthodontist appointment!
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Chapter 9
The next few weeks passed in a blur and although the braces weren’t pleasant I did get used to them. I learned not to give Jessica the satisfaction of moaning about the unpleasantness and instead began to think about how much better everything would be once it was off. I also figured that the expanders would come out at some point – google told me on average 9 months – and then all I would have left would be metal braces which is totally acceptable. Once I stopped lisping that was the main thing, plus the night time appliance should finish around the same time. 9 months of hell wasn’t great but at least it wasn’t the whole way through!
One Saturday I was having lunch at home with Jessica and I bit into some raw carrot. We both instantly heard a crunch and to begin with I thought I had cracked a tooth. I swallowed nervously then run my tongue around my teeth. I didn’t feel anything and told Jessica it must have been a false alarm, but she insisted on checking. I swirled my mouth with some water then opened wide. Jessica used her phone torch to check my mouth and she didn’t see anything either. Just as I thought we were clear she said “oh, tip your head back more” I did as I was told and heard her sigh. “You’ve knocked the two bite blocks off your front teeth. Probably swallowed them too. I’ll give John a ring to tell him and find out what we need to do, you finish eating but be careful – you need to watch those bottom brackets”. I groaned internally, knowing that because they were such good friends it was likely I would end up sitting in the chair ASAP. I was being so careful of chewing but it felt great to be able to actually close my mouth and I hoped he wouldn’t put the bite blocks back on – he did say it was only temporary so hopefully I wouldn’t need them now.
I turned around as I heard Jessica come back into the kitchen and raised my eyebrows expectantly, she smiled slightly at me “He said he has no plans this afternoon so we are free to go in in about an hour and a half for him to fix it”. This time I couldn’t hold the groan in and Jessica quickly sneered at me “you think I want to be spending my Saturday afternoon ferrying you to appointments? No! As much as this is an inconvenience for you it’s just as bad for me, even worse because it doesn’t benefit me in any way. Stop acting like a brat – it was your own fault! Besides, I don’t think John is going to be happy is he? Giving up his Saturday after you ate something too hard despite him telling you not to?”
I mumbled an apology and bit into my sandwich, sulking slightly as I chewed. Once we had finished I brushed my teeth and we headed into the car. I couldn’t stop running my tongue over the back of my teeth, noticing how smooth it felt after having the two blocks there prodding my tongue for so long.
John showed us straight back into the room and I nervously took up my place in his chair while him and Jessica chatted between themselves as it lowered me down until I was horizontal. He tapped my chin, signalling me to open up. He made a few mumbling noises as he prodded around, “and Jessica said you did this on a carrot?” I gurgled a response of yes and he sighed loudly. “Right, well – we need to get them back on. Your molars still haven’t erupted enough yet for you to be out of the danger zone. You’re lucky you haven’t damaged your teeth or the braces. I will give you another leaflet of what you can and can’t eat.”
He quickly put the lip spreader back in and added the bite turbos to the back of my two front teeth. It didn’t take long and once he cured them with the UV lamp he sat me up and began checking my bite. If anything they felt slightly lower down this time – meaning my mouth was left hanging open even more.
His eyes flicked to Jessica, “Has she been wearing the night time appliance?” Jessica looked at me briefly, pretending to think carefully “Well, I THINK so, but you never know when she’s shut in her bedroom at night…” I quickly began to protest, arguing I had indeed been wearing it every night.
John narrowed his eyes at me as he spoke “Either you haven’t been wearing it properly OR it isn’t doing it’s job properly. There has been no jaw movement at all. I know you have an appointment in a couple of weeks anyway but I want to move that forward to next week. I can check on those turbos, make a few changes that I’ve seen today and we can review the appliance”. My heart sunk but I nodded silently. John continued to look between me and Jessica “I am sure I don’t need to remind you Ellie you did sign the compliance consent forms, If I don’t believe the treatment is working.- either due to you or anything else, I will change it”.
Jessica hummed in agreement and we scheduled out next appointment for Monday morning before school. John showed us out the office as Jessica thanked him again for his time.
My jaw ached as I climbed back into the car, Jessica was smiling with glee “Well, I wonder what changes he has in store for Monday? Let’s hope there isn’t any new additions for you!” My heart began to pound again as I thought of his warning, knowing there wasn’t much room left in my mouth for any changes.
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Loving it! Can't wait to see what John has planned, and MAN is Jessica evil!
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Wow :o. I am not even sure what John has in store for Ellie, but I am looking forward to it.
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Nice job!
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thanks for the update !
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thx for the update~
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Great story can’t wait for the next chapter
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Ellie is waiting for Monday, but which Monday, which year? ???
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Super nice story, can’t wait to see it continue
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Chapter 10
Monday morning rolled around quickly and I soon found myself sat in John’s waiting room again. It was busier this morning as his assistants gathered people through. We were sat waiting for what felt like forever and I kept running my tongue along my braces, unsure of what he had instore for me today. Finally, his assistant called me through and both me and Jessica stood up. She guided me along the corridor and I took a seat. John poked his head in and signalled for Jessica to step out with him and she quickly followed him to his office. I sat in the chair, nervously crossing then uncrossing my legs waiting for them to return.
After about 5 minutes they came into the room and John snapped on his gloves while his assistant began to lay me flat. Neither him nor Jessica had said a work yet and the nerves grew in the pit of my stomach. The assistant slipped the lip spreader in but this time it had a section to keep my tongue clear. “right then Ellie. I know we said last time that there was a bit of confusion about whether you were wearing your appliance enough because your jaw hadn’t moved. Now my speciality is looking into appliances and adapting them to make sure you have the best outcomes. This is only the start of your journey and we want to make sure we are getting it right from the beginning. So today I am going to apply a special type of bite plate behind your front teeth. Instead of having those blocks you’re going to have a lump of acrylic which will stop you biting down and breaking those brackets. I have modified it slightly though so there is a ledge at the back pointing to the bottom of your mouth. This will mean you have to bring your bottom jaw right forward to get it to sit in front of this ledge. This will put your jaw in the right position and because it’s permanent there is no concerns about compliance. Now we are going to get you started with your extra oral device today too so that we maximise the space in your upper jaw, bringing those wisdom teeth back in your jaw more, opening up more room in your arch and bringing your top jaw back slightly so the two jaws align well. Ok? Well lets get started”
I didn’t really know what he meant but I guessed it had something to do with the expander since he was talking about maximising jaw space so I opened my mouth and let him get to work. He pulled the bite blocks off the back of my teeth and it felt like they might crack with the pressure he was putting on there then he began to drill any excess glue off of them. He added some horrible tasting etch again then passed me some black glasses. “I’m going to be using a lot of UV light today – these will protect your eyes” I slipped them on and tried to relax slightly. His assistant passed him the bite plate but I couldn’t see it at all. I felt a bit of pressure behing my front teeth but nothing major and relaxed as I realised this wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. I felt john remove it and make a few adjustments before slipping it back in. When he was satisfied of it’s fit he put it to one side then changed the archwire to a new thicker one. Then he put the bite plate back in and asked for his wire ligature to secure it. I hadn’t thought about how it was going to be fitted to the existing braces but I guessed he was going to tie it in. I felt John slip some wire between my two front teeth and the pressure between them two hit immediately. I felt him do the same between the canines and the pre-molars on both sides of my mouth and I knew I was going to need painkillers later. He then started fiddling with the expander in the roof of my mouth and the aching began immediately. My top jaw was incredible tender and I tried to probe it with my tongue but was topped by the lip spreader today. John then begun to twist the wire between my two front teeth around the new archwire. I felt the pressure increase and it felt like the bite plate was crushing against my front teeth. John did the same behind the canine teeth on the left side and the pain really amped up. As he pulled on the wire by my right canine teeth I couldn’t help but let out a grunt of pain, he paused for a second “I know it’s sore but this is going to keep the expander in place. We are lucky that your palate expander has created tiny gaps between your teeth already so I didn’t have to add more spacers. We are almost done with this part.” I tried to agree but again it just came out a grunt. He finally finished twisting the wire on that side and took his hands out my mouth a second. I couldn’t quite figure out where the pressure was coming from, all I knew was that my whole top mouth was aching badly. John took his mirror and checked around my mouth “That looks good to me, nice and secure to your new archwire. Palate expander still holding up well. Onto the bottom arch. At least this is just a quick wire change for you”
He made quick work of changing my bottom archwire but again the aching started almost immediately as he had gone for a much thicker one. “Right, lets sit you up before we continue. You can rinse your mouth and we can see if it’s rubbing anywhere or if it’s sitting ok”
The lip spreader was taken out as the chair was raised and I attempted to close my mouth. Immediately my lower jaw hit and I couldn’t get it closed. John must have seen the panic on my face “Don’t worry – it’s not holding it open that much, remember slide your lower jaw forward and it will sit in front of the ledge on the bite plate” I followed his instructions and it worked but it still felt like it was holding my mouth open. He gripped my chin in his hands, using his fingers to pry my lips apart. “That looks fantastic. Now it is coming down lower than you would probably have liked but that is to allow your teeth to erupt more on the bottom and it’s the perfect position for your jaw. Because it holds it open it’s allowed those wires to run through and hold it in place. Now open and close a few times for me” I again followed johns instructions but my saliva was rapidly building up and I had to slurp it back which make my cheeks burn with shame. Now my tongue was free I could explore it more, the bite plate didn’t have a small ledge – the plate and ledge ran all the way back to my expander so I couldn’t get my tongue to the roof of my mouth at all – it was all enclosed. The large ledge meant I had to push my jaw right forward which made me feel like my jaw was square. It also came really low down – the bite plate definitely went below my top teeth. John got me to rinse my mouth and had another look, making noises that implied his approval.
I needed to see what it looked like “aaah eeee feee?” the noises that came out my mouth stunned me and Jessica couldn’t hold her smirk. John smiled sympathetically “sorry I didn’t catch that, try again. It is going to be much harder to talk with this as it takes over the front of your palate and behind your teeth but it will get easier with time, you will be left with only a slight lisp and muffling”. I nodded sadly and tried again “aaan iiiii feee?” John seemed to understand this time “you want to see?” I nodded quickly and he handed me the mirror. I didn’t even need to open my mouth to see – the bite plate came at least a cm below my top teeth, keeping my jaw open even as my bottom teeth hit it. The acrylic was a flurescent blue so really visible. I grimaced slightly as I opened my mouth and attempted to look at it. John pointed out how the wires connected it to my archwire plus my palate expander so it was completely secure. “I have created a small spring in it in the middle so it’ll work with your palate expander as that opens your jaw up more. I know it probably feels a lot right now but I can see you and Jessica have been doing a great job turning that every day so we will keep that progress going until your top jaw is the right size. Your lower jaw is doing well too but we need to keep them both active. Now the disadvantage to this – and why I had to check with Jessica – is that it’s going to be much harder to clean your teeth, you’re going to have to use you waterpik to floss inbetween the teeth and between the teeth and the bite plate but you’re going to have to come into the office weekly to meet with out hygienist too just to make sure it’s not causing any problems and we so can give it and you a deep clean. The good thing is while you’re here each week I can check in and adapt to what you need each time – it should speed up this bit of treatment” I nodded again, slightly stunned by it hoping that each week I wouldn’t have more additions as I literally could not fit anything else in my mouth. Jessica piped up “It’s no problem bringing her in, we just want Ellie to have the best smile she can – no matter what it takes”. John smiled at her gratefully and I moved to swing my legs off the chair, assuming we were done today. John put his hand on my shoulder “We haven’t finished today yet – remember your extraoral device? Pop your legs back up and we will get that sorted for you” My heart started beating rapidly not knowing what that was but knowing there was no way I could have anything else inside my mouth.
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It's nice to have another chapter to the story.
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This story is fireeee! I love how Emily is such a passenger in her treatment having the sadistic Jessica make every decision on her behalf, then sitting chairside enjoying poor Ellie’s discomfort as the ortho does his work >:D keep up the great work! More please!!!
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Great to hear about Ellie again ! This chapter is really nice. I can't wait for the following !
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Chapter 11
John layed the chair down slowly and his assistant put the lip spreader in again, forcing my tongue back. I became desperate to just out of here today before he added anything else. My mouth felt totally full now and i couldn’t imagine what else he thought he was going to get in. He mumbled something to his assistant who walked off to get it. As John pushed around my mouth I got sharp pains wherever he touched. His assistant passed a packet to John but it was out of my eye line so I couldn’t see it. I began to wring my hands whilst laying down, desperate to know what was happening. John opened the packed and held an item up in front of my face. My heart sunk – absolutely no, no way. “This is a facebow, a type of headgear. You’re going to have this connected to a few straps – this is the extraoral device that will move those molars back, creating more space in your arch while keeping your jaw in a better position”, I shook my head furiously, sick rising in my throat. “noo, iiii caaaffff ooouuu ffaaaaat”
Jessica spoke up quickly “Ellie we can’t understand you but I can guarantee you’re protesting. John thinks this is important. You have to wear it, you don’t have a choice – remember your contract?” I rolled my eyes slightly and turned back to John, hoping to plead my case but he shrugged his shoulders “I am doing Jessica a favour and you only have to wear it 10 hours a day, that’s not a lot, ideally I would have preferred full time. Now let’s see if it fits.” I didn’t have much choice in the matter as my lips were already in the spreader and John quickly got to work. He slotted it in and out, then turned around and began to work on it with some pliers – adjusting it to Ellie’s mouth. Finally he was happy with the fit and removed the lip spreaders and sat me up. His assistant passed him the straps just as I was upright. He attached what felt like a million straps across my head and then began to adjust them.
With my jaw being held open by the bite plate plus the braces my lips didn’t completely close anyway but now the facebow was poking out of them and felt incredibly low, sitting between my lips, pushing them out even more when I tried to close my lips properly.
I attempted to reason with them again “issss aggguuulll”, John shook his head “it’s not awful, like Jessica said – you don’t have a choice. It is just another step in the treatment. It’s the best way to move your molars. Like I said it’s only overnight. Now this is what we call combination headgear as it has straps on your neck as well as your head. You need to keep it on this setting and I will review it when you come in next week and adjust if we need. Now let’s practice putting it in and taking it out”
He handed me a mirror and it was even worse than I thought, my eyes sprung with tears and the assistant rubbed my shoulder sympathetically, she showed me how to get it in and out a few times then let me practice. Once I had got the hang of it John did one final check of it “remember, 10 hours a night, leave it on these settings – just put it in and attach the straps as I have set them. I’ll check it next week.” I nodded them my hands reached to take it out, he quickly stopped me “rules are, any appliance you wear in the office – and at your age you will be a great example to the younger kids”. My cheeks burned but I knew there was no point in arguing it. Instead I just followed Jessica out and waited while she scheduled the next few weeks of appointments for me, keeping my eyes glued to the ground, refusing to look to see who was staring at me.
The pulling of the headgear was making my jaw hurt even more and I had to swallow my tears down. Even Jessica looked sorry for me as she turned around “Right, lets get home, you can take that off when we are home and we will get you some painkillers, you don’t have to go to school today – it’s a lot isn’t it?” I nodded sadly and followed her quickly to the car.
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Waiting her colleague laugh with her
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More amazing work! Poor Ellie, she’s got a lot to deal with! Can’t wait to hear how she learns to live with her new hardware >:D
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I'm enjoying this story - there's something quite traditional about it in terms of the development, and you've portrayed Jessica really well. She's not just the evil stepmother, she seems to be actively oblivious to (or actively enjoying?) the discomfort she's putting Ellie through.
Somehow, I get the feeling she isn't quite satisfied yet, though!
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I love this story, can’t wait for the next chapter!
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i just read the story today and can't wait for it to continue.
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Great story, waiting for the update :-* :-* :-*
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The next week was hard as I attempted to adjust to all my new appliances. My speech had got no better and although my friends were polite I could tell they were embarrassed for me. School was incredibly difficult and I found myself withdrawing slightly. I spent more time at home with Jessica who was actually very sympathetic and was cooking me lot of soups to eat so I didn’t have to chew.
My dad came home a few days later and I could see he was shocked by it all and later that evening I heard him and Jessica whispering about my treatment. I felt embarrassed to my core, even in my own home I felt uncomfortable with my family seeing me like this.
My saliva was still building up despite the device being in my mouth a week now and I found myself dribbling at night.
I was supposed to have my headgear in from 8pm-6am but I couldn’t stand Jessica or Dad to see me in it so I often didn’t put it in until 10pm but I figured a couple of hours couldn’t make a difference.
Finally the week was over and my appointment was the next morning for a cleaning with the hygienist which I was nervous about as my teeth were still throbbing. Usually it only took a few days to settle but because the expander and the headgear were keeping everything moving it was as painful as the day after having everything fitted.
As Jessica’s car pulled up outside the office she reached into her bag and pulled out my headgear pouch, my eyes widened and I began to shake my head but Jessica quickly put her hand on my knee and silenced me “remember, it’s his rules – all appliances to be worn when you’re in the office”, I sighed loudly and used the car mirrors to get it into the molar tubes, Jessica then helped me to quickly put the three straps over my head, behind my head and round my neck then secured them to the facebow “good girl”. My shoulders stooped as we got out the car and I walked with my head down until we got to the office and waited to check in. The receptionist smiled broadly at us, showing off her own gleaming white teeth “good morning, what’s your name please?”. Usually Jessica checked me in but she turned to me and encouraged me to speak, I took a deep breath “iiii eeeyyyeee gaaaavvviiisss”, Jessica grimaced at me slightly then faced the receptionist “Ellie Davis” the receptionist checked her computer, great I can see you’re here for a cleaning and a check with John – unfortunately there was an emergency this morning so clinic is sightly delayed but please take a seat and we will be with you as soon as we can be”. We turned the corner and my heart sank again as I realised the delay with clinic meant a nearly full waiting room, everyone stopped and stared as I sat down but tried to pretend they hadn’t. Jessica tried to strike up a conversation with me but I didn’t want everyone to hear my lisp to a murmured responses until she finally got the message and flicked through a magazine. Around 10 people came and went while I sat there and each time somebody new turned up my cheeks burned with shame again, most of them were younger teens and I instantly felt very uncool.
Finally my turn came, they called me back and I sat down quietly in the chair, the hygienist appeared and smiled warmly at me while pointing at my facebow “good job wearing that in the office today, I’ll pop it out in a minute, just relax and I will be done quickly today”. I nodded and let her recline my chair slowly, I opened my mouth just as she put the lip spreader in. she moved my face side to side, having a good look inside my mouth “john said you had the full works and he was NOT joking, poor girl” I grunted in response – unsure what to say.
The cleaning didn’t take long at all but hurt all the time with how tender my teeth are. She sat me up and let me rinse and then disappeared. Jessica whispered quickly “I wonder if John has any other surprises in store for you today?” my stomach dropped as I hadn’t even thought about that – I thought it was a simple check. Before I’d had chance to run through any of the possibilities John came right “right then ladies let’s see what’s happening with that busy mouth of yours”. I opened and closed obediently as John poked around and let him slip the facebow in while hoping there was nothing to be added. Finally he took a few measurements, slipped my headgear straps on and sat down next to me. “it all looks good, the bite plate is in a good position for now – as your top jaw expands more we may have to move it slightly but for now it’s great. There isn’t any jaw movement from the headgear yet but it’s only been a week – we will just keep an eye on it. Keep up the good work – actually while you’re here, I’m going to give those expanders an extra couple of turns today.” He reached behind him quickly and grabbed the tool, he opened my jaw and did two turns on the bottom and three on the top. The pressure was there immediately again and I winced slightly as my jaws attempted to close. “your lower jaw is looking great actually, not long until we have reached where I want that to be expansion wise. I’ll check that next week. Now any questions either of you?” Jessica shook her head and then they both looked at me expectantly ‘ IIII shhhillll caaaarrr gaaalllk welllll” “you still can’t talk well? Well it’s a big change for your mouth and you’re very early on – it will get easier but practicing is key.” Jessica piped up quickly “she has been more quiet, I think she’s embarrassed”. John nodded solemnly “I can understand that but the more you talk the easier it is. Keep talking regularly, reading aloud, chatting to friends. Your tongue will adapt but we may need to accept that this could be close to your new baseline for speech while you have these devices” I nodded quietly and murmured a thank you as John showed us out.
We walked through the waiting room which was still busy and straight out into the car park. I climbed in the car and immediately took out my headgear. I wiggled my jaws slightly, trying to stretch them out but the pain remained. “still sore?” I nodded sadly “ok come on, you can’t have a day off for every appointment but you may as well wait until lunchtime now before heading back to school. I’ll make us something soft to eat while you freshen up” I mumbled gratefully as Jessica drove back home and I wallowed in self pity. I rushed up to my bedroom to inspect my expander and see if I could notice any difference but I couldn’t. I tried smiling in the mirror a few times but it horrified me so I instead tried to practice heading the metal mess by closing my lips. I realised I had been upstairs a while so headed back down and heard Jessica finishing off a phone call, as I turned the corner she smiled at me “so, that was school – I told them you’ll be in at 1pm buuuut I was remembering what John said and so I took it upon myself to tell them at school about your speech problems and I’ve asked them to encourage you to speak during classes and to interact with the class more!” my temper flared as I heard that “WAAAAT, gaaattsss nooo faaaaiiirr, iiii shhhoouund shoooo shhhthuupiddd” Jessica shook her head “no you don’t, you sound like a sensible girl who is undergoing some intensive medical treatment right now. People will understand. Sure it might be a shock at first but they’ll soon get used to it. You need to practice.” Tears welled in my eyes but I blinked them away and sat silently as I ate my soup. Finally Jessica grabbed the bowls and told me it was time to go, I grabbed my school bag and slumped to the car. The journey went quickly and we were pulling up outside school in no time. Jessica rubbed my shoulder and encouraged me to get out the car. I felt the nerves building up as I walked back into school but knew I needed to get it over and done with.
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It's nice to see the story continue.
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This is my favorite keep going please!
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Yep my favourite ongoing story too, love it! Keep up the awesome work, can’t wait for the next instalment!
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Great job @metalfoxy
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This is one my favorite stories, very well written!
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This story is one of my favorites. So i can't wait for the hext chapter. Hopefully there will be somenone
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The couple of weeks were awful. At home I was wearing the headgear about 8 hours a day – I couldn’t manage any more. At school all my teachers were choosing me to read out loud and encouraging me to answer questions in classes. My friends were becoming more embarrassed of me by the day. I couldn’t eat properly with them at school because of how the bite plate sat in my mouth and I still slurped to swallow. My speech was still really bad and most of the time they couldn’t understand me.
I spent more time at home now, isolated away in my bedroom.
After a month of the headgear it was time to head back to john’s office for my weekly cleaning and headgear.
After having my cleaning I sat waiting for John to arrive. He layed the chair back and began to examine. He was unusually silent during the exam- not bothering to make any chit chat. He changed the wires in my top and bottom jaw to much thicker ones and I knew my teeth would be aching tonight.
After a couple of minutes he rolled his chair back, looking between me and Jessica – “how has the headgear been?”. I gulped slightly before answering “ok – I’ve been weaing it every night” It wasn’t technically a lie. Jessica rolled her eyes “I have gone into her bedroom and have to remind her to put it in EVERY night. She definitely isn’t hitting 10 hours a night. I would predict more like 6”. John sighed heavily but I began to protest quickly – “no It’s always 8 hours, I just cant manage the 10.” John stopped me immediately –‘ you just said you’re wearing it as directed, now 8 hours – I am more inclined to believe Jess. I shouldn’t have to remind you of this but you are on the compliance programme. This is the one and only warning I will give you. Wear it as directed or I will wire it in so you can’t take it out. To make up for lost time you need to wear It 16 hours a day. That’s from 4pm until 8am. No taking it out, no breaks. 7 days a week”.
I was too scared to argue back at this point and layed there as he put it back in my mouth. As it was already 3.30 he argued that I may as well keep it in now and although I had done it many times before I couldn’t stop my cheeks burning as I walked out the room.
Jessica led the way to the car and I followed behind quickly, my head dipped. The minute I was back in the car I stared in the mirror. Jessica looked at me sympathetically but said ‘well it’s better than wearing it to school, plus it’s really not that big of a deal. Nobody is going to judge you for trying to better your oral health Ellie”. I knew she was trying to get under my skin but I wasn’t going to let her, I bit my cheek to stop myself crying and nodded slightly before slumping back in my seat. I stared out the window the whole way home.
As we pulled into the driveway our neighbour was there with her children. As I got out the car they were all staring at me, Jessica shouted over to them “she has to wear the headgear all the time she’s not at school. As you can imagine – she’s a bit upset”. The neighbour smiled politely while the children continued to stare and I quickly ran inside the house to hide.
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Really great that there is a new chapter. It was really nice. I think we will see a wired headgear soon >:D
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Thanks for the update as always! Poor Ellie, that’s a lot to put up with, especially always getting picked on to read and speak infront of all her classmates. What a nightmare with a mouth full of such intrusive appliances! I hope she finds a way to keep up with her headgear hours or her schooldays are only going to get more difficult!
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Life was getting busy as I prepared for the last term of school. I had a lot of after school clubs which meant I wasn’t always home at 4pm. Jessica packed my headgear every day for me but there was no way I was wearing that around people at school. It was only the day before my cleaning that I began to get a bit nervous. It had been a month since John told me I needed to wear my headgear for 16 hours a day. I still wasn’t making more than 10-11 hours a day if I was being realistic. I knew that it might take a couple of months longer to get the effect he wanted but if I was going to be wearing braces anyway it was better than wearing headgear all day.
Little did I know John was serious about wiring it in.
I went for my weekly clean and the hygienist said I had to be careful as my teeth were showing some early signs of decay. She advised me to brush properly, floss regularly and to use my waterpik.
As I waited for John to come in I began to fidgety. He came in and him and Jessica exchanged glances. He layed the chair flat and removed the headgear.
He ‘hmm’ and ‘ahh’ as he looked around my mouth.
After a while he kept me laying totally flat but moved his chair round so he could take to me.
“your bottom expander has done its job – your jaw is exactly where I want it. Your top jaw now needs to catch up. We will keep the bottom one in for a while just for retention – maybe only a month or so. But we need to step up the top expander. Instead of 1 turn I want you to do it once in the morning and once at night. At weekends I want a lunchtime one in there too. The top jaw really isn’t moving as quickly as I’d like and to be honest we can’t move your teeth until the jaw is wider. Now for the serious business” He looked at Jessica who smiled smugly at me “I talked to Jessica about the headgear and she didn’t think you were hitting anywhere near your goal. Looking at the progress today I’d say she is correct. Now this headgear really is the easier option for you. I gave you a warning last time, today I’m going to tie it in. that means you won’t be able to remove the facebow. I am also going to change the strap, you will now have the neck strap and a cap – that will help to spread the force properly. Since you will have the headgear in 24/7 you may as well have it connected 24/7. Now I will give you 1 hour a day off – that’s to shower and brush your teeth. The cap I’m going to give you had a chip installed. That means I will be able to monitor it. Anything less than 23 hours a day and I will move you to the next stage of the compliance plan and trust me – you won't like that.”
Tears gathered in my eyes and I tried to protest but john quickly put a lip spreader in which muffled my speech. Tears slipped down my cheeks and my shoulder began to heave with the sobs. I knew this was a possibility but I never really believed it would come to this.
Finally he had tied it in, and sat me up again. He connected the neck strap and then pulled out the cap for the combined headgear. Not only was the headgear not removeable but now there was plastic all over my face and there was no hiding the fabric cap sitting on the crown of my head. John had done two turns on my upper expander and then with the new pressure of the headgear my whole mouth was throbbing already. I turned to him “peaaaaase untie iiiiit, I pwooomise to waaaae it”. John shook his head “I gave you a warning, you chose not to listen – this is the consequence. Remember you need to connect the straps 23 hours a day and turn the expander 2 x a day during the week, 3 on weekends. I won't be here at your next cleaning so I will see you to review in 2 weeks. Let’s try and turn this around before the summer break ok?”. Jessica thanked him and promised she would keep an eye on me, then ushered me out. As we reached the car she made me stand and took a photo of me, I rolled my eyes internally but knew I had to just go along with her or it would make my life even worse. We climbed in the car and drove home in silence – I had no intention of speaking to her and letting her try to patronise me. When we got home I stomped upstairs and prepared to hide in my bedroom for the rest of the evening. I layed down on my bed and began crying, feeling sorry for myself – quickly after my phone buzzed indicating that I had been tagged in a Facebook post. My heart sunk as I saw it was Jessica that tagged me, I instinctively knew that it was going to be something awful. I clicked onto facebook and immediately saw a photo of me staring back at me. It was the photo Jessica had taken outside of the car. My eyes were bloodshot and my cheeks were tear stained, most obviously though was the shiny headgear poking out of my lips, wrapped around both cheeks. Jessica had written “this little one learned a hard lesson today – follow the rules or face the consequences. @Ellie was supposed to be wearing her headgear at night only but didn’t bother and now the poor girl has to wear it 24/7. Not a happy bunny here today.”
My cheeks burned with shame and my tears began to fall again, after a few seconds I pulled myself off the bed and stormed downstairs “TAKE IIIT DOOOON, NOOOW. GIISSSS ISSSS SOOO EMBARRASSSIIINNG. EVERRRONE WILL SEE”. Jessica smirked at me “oh darling, everyone is going to see anyway – you’re at school tomorrow. I thought this would just ease you in, some of your friends and their parents will see it before you have to show up there and it’ll answer some of the questions”. I couldn’t believe she had done it and to lie and pretend it was for my own good was even more insulting, the tears ran freely now “I HATE YOU”. I stormed back upstairs, slamming the door and pulling my duvet over my head. I watched as Jessica’s post got hundreds of likes and comments – most people were shocked saying they 1) didn’t know I had headgear, 2) they didn’t know headgear was even used anymore 3) didn’t know headgear could be wired in. Everyone was sympathetic but I knew it wouldn’t be like that at school tomorrow – I knew I would be a social outcast tomorrow.
I refused to go down for dinner, staying in my room and eventually drifted into a restless sleep. My alarm went off but I turned it off, deciding there was no way I was going to go into school today. Jessica had another ideas though and was adamant there was no way I was staying at home – she told me she had anticipated this and had booked an appointment with the headteacher to talk to them about my headgear and tell them all about my schedule.
I finally relented and got up to brush my teeth, I disconnected the headgear from the straps and instantly felt the relief. This was short lived though as I started to brush my teeth and with every stroke I felt the pain in my mouth increasing again. I went downstairs and refused breakfast as I knew I couldn’t eat with the pain I was in. Jessica rolled her eyes and said “well we are still going to be turning your expander”. My eyes filled with tears but I blinked them back – determined not to let Jessica see that she had upset me. I stood there with my mouth open while she clicked the expander, I knew the pain would start to build up again over the next couple of hours. Jessica checked the straps and cap were connected properly then led me out to her car, ready for the drive to school.
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A wired in headgear - this topic is now very old.
A much newer attempt could be an electronically controlled wearing time schedule with some spikes poking into the cheeks, when at a programmed time the headgear would not be in place.
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Monday morning came and I was sat in John’s waiting room again, I felt pretty confident knowing I had kept the cap attached whenever I could – only removing it when I was showering or brushing my teeth (and sometimes when the pain just got too much). After waiting for what felt like forever I was called back – I sat down and glanced around while the lip spreader was put back in.
John came in, greeted Jessica and practically grunted at me.
He had me open and close many times, then he checked the chip “Hmm, seems like you’re only hitting 21 hours a day?” I protested quickly but he immediately stopped me.
“I really don’t know what else to say Ellie – I think I’ve been very fair here so far. You have so much of my time and attention but still you can’t even put in the work? Your facebow isn’t removeable, so it’s not like you can forget. At this point this is total disobedience. Jess said this would happen but I gave you the benefit of the doubt – how wrong I was!” My cheeks flushed red and tears welled in my eyes – I was trying my best but nobody understood how hard this all was. I tried to explain to john that the pain was too much sometimes but he just put his hand up and turned to Jessica “Can we talk?”, she nodded her head quickly and smirked at me as she walked out, my stomach was doing flips as I lay there awaiting there return.
It didn’t take long until John returned with some paperwork in his hand and Jessica following behind with a very smug look on her face.
He sat down beside me and pointed to the paperwork – “remember this that you signed all those months ago, agreeing to treatment?” I nodded sheepishly, “well, remember you’re on the compliance plan?” I nodded again but my heart rate sped up, knowing something bad was about to come – but then again, I already had awful appliances that I had to wear 24/7 – how much worse could it get?!
John flipped to a page halfway through and pointed “The paperwork you signed directly says if you do not follow instructions you will be entered into the final phase of compliance. Did you read what that entails?” I shook my head, glancing between him and Jessica and bravely said “No, but to be honest I think I am done with all of these appliances – I never wanted any of these anyway…” John’s eyes showed his bemusement as he began again “OH, to the contrary – you are only just getting started with your treatment, in fact – we start today”. Confusion was evident on my face and I turned to Jessica for some clarification but she keenly avoided my gaze. John started speaking again “In case you didn’t know – the final phase of compliance is entering my residential programme, You will stay here Monday – Friday, myself and my team of trainee orthodontists will work on you each day, we will have our assistants monitor your use of the appliances – they will reinsert them each time you have them out. You will also be used as the subject of my online teachings – videos, webinars, facebook advertising – all of those cool things. Now the best bit is you will get rid of all of these appliances – we start from the absolute beginning, trying all different things and seeing how they respond, we try older appliances and compare them to newer ones so we can learn how far off the track we have gone from the originals. It takes a long time, not everything works exactly right so it’s trial and error but we WILL get you that perfect smile.” My heart was hammering in my chest “what? No? you cant! What about school? What about weekends? I am NOT staying here!”. John looked at me sternly – “It isn’t here exactly – it’s at the local hospital, you will stay on the ward overnight and come to the maxillofacial clinic daily. That’s where I spent 50% of my time and besides – that’s where all the trainees are based. You will do online school in between your appointments with us – you will have all the time in the world for your school work. Weekends you will return home – an integration so you don’t lose track with family. That is your test too, to see how you can cope back at home” I scoffed slightly “ There is no way this is legal, no WAY you can do this!” I turned to Jessica for help but she totally ignored me, John smiled slightly “Of course we can, 1) it is in the documentation you signed and 2) it’s no different to any other hospitalisation. Imagine this was for your mental health – you come into a clinic and stay so you get the right treatment so you can go home healthy. You don’t go home until you’re healthy. You need the help with this right now and we are here to do that, now you couldn’t manage it as an outpatient so we offer it as an inpatient – that is what is so unique about my practice. Now let me go and gather the models of the appliances, he walked out and returned a few minutes later with some different appliances and tooth models – I glanced at them quickly and they all looked like torture devices, he moved them out of sight and picked up the first plastic device. “Now the stages will go something like this…”
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Oh wow @metalfoxy this story never ceases to entertain! Poor Ellie, locked up with no way of escaping her orthodontic nightmare. I can’t wait to see what her new residential treatment is going to look like. All that time just to be experimented on, comparing the effects of different devices no matter how intrusive or humiliating! Keep up the amazing work writing and thanks for sharing with us!
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A wired in headgear - this topic is now very old.
A much newer attempt could be an electronically controlled wearing time schedule with some spikes poking into the cheeks, when at a programmed time the headgear would not be in place.
You are very welcome to write your own story. You could make it anything you want.
Thank you for the story metalfoxy.
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Looking forward to what come next!
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John held up an ‘appliance’ which just looked like a mess of plastic and metal, there was no way that was fitting into my mouth! He pointed to it “now this is a frankel appliance – that will help to retrain your mouth muscles and you will wear that 24/7 – I will do a slight modification of this as I will add the lip buttons to the top as well as the bottom. This will help to retrain the way you swallow too – if you ‘suck in’ then they will rub so you will learn to speak, eat and swallow again in an improved way.” He placed that down and picked up the next one which was a lump of pink plastic with a short facebow poking out ‘we may then move to a van beek activator with the headgear to help reposition your jaws - again it's a 24/7 appliance” He put that down but didn’t pick anything up again so I was hoping that would be the worst over, he turned back to me “once we have finished with that you will then get your expander back on the top– that might be combined with twin blocks if it’s needed at that point to maintain the jaw position. Then once we have finished that phase we will move to fixed braces” Bands across teeth, jaw’s positioned with a herbst or maybe an alternative like a forsus appliance – we will see closer to the time. He turned around and picked up a tooth model with whole hunks of metal wrapped round every single tooth. “ now we used to use bands in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. They were very effective but went out of favour because of their appearance and the extra work. You are going to be part of my study to see if we complete bands using more modern materials if they are cheaper, easier and as effective as brackets – it could be a game changer for people who need to keep their costs down. So we will use modern metals to create bands for every one of your teeth, we will put spacers between each tooth and insert them. We will measure the forces applied and how much movement we get compared to normal brackets.” I couldn’t help but stare at the model, seeing how little white there was on view made me panic even more knowing that my mouth would look like that – shiny and grey.” He picked up metal bars and clipped them to the model which looked even more ridiculous now with giant “now this is an example of a type of herbst, this helps to keep your jaw in a better position. Like I said there are other options like springs but we will assess closer to the time. Lots of people think a herbst means no headgear – but remember if we want to move the upper jaw back then we can also add a facebow at this time.” Jessica spoke up at this point and I could practically hear the glee in her voice “this time, with the van beek and again later? Ellie you could be the first person to have 3 different facebows, 3 different times during their treatment” John nodded along enthusiastically “indeed! What a story to tell”. I groaned internally knowing that he would for sure find a way to add this now. Finally he reached over, put the ugly banded tooth model down and picked up ‘normal’ braces on a tooth model again “Obviously the bands will leave tiny gaps between each tooth so once we have achieved what we want then we will switch back to brackets with power chains to close the gaps. Now normally we would remove the braces but I think we will leave the brackets on for a short period of retention since you will have had so much more done” He then placed the models down and picked up two pink acrylic appliances “Then finally we will go to Hawley retainers, none of those silly clear ones. You’ll wear these full time for 18 months – 2 years as a preventative with monthly checks. Then you can go to 18 hours, 12 hours then overnight in time”. So even after braces I was going to but stuck with plastic and metal full time for at least 2 years?!
He turned to Jessica “obviously as Ellie is going to be used as a study and in promotional videos and marketing the cost of these appliances are all covered – it will still be the basic payment you agreed at the start. The cost of the hospital stay will be covered under a grant so nothing to worry about – we will explain to them that Ellie’s future oral health is at risk” Jessica smiled widely and nodded along.
Now the difficult thing is time frames here – usually the frankel appliance and van beek would be 9-15 months each” my heart stopped for a second there but john quickly carried on “But we don’t have those time frames, and because we can add fixed appliances later we can use them to see how you respond. I’d say 3-4 months in the frankel will give us enough time to retrain those muscles – we can then simulate this with lip bumpers and shields if needed with the fixed braces. If time allows then the van beek will be closer to 5-6 months, everyone thinks jaw growth has stopped by your ages but we can usually get a little bit of extra growth so this will be focused on that. The expander will be similar to what you have now, luckily we have already done your bottom jaw so as long as there is no reversal with those appliances it’ll only be the top to do. I don’t expect this to take more than 4 weeks because of the progress we have already made and we will be able to doing multiple turns a day while monitoring you. The fixed bands will be likely 12 months – we will have done the bulk of the jaw work so just the repositioning at this point as long as the bands move things as quickly as we anticipate. Then 3 months of repositioning with the brackets and probably another 3 months for retention.” Jessica smiles widely at John “that all sounds great – really well thought through!” John smiled gratefully “it’s a slow process but slow and steady brings the best, long lasting results” I looked between them, after adding up the times “ but, even if everything goes to plan that’s a really long time – its 10 months with those two massive appliances, another month for the expander, a year with the bands then 6 months with the normal braces…that’s 29 months…that’s 2 and half years! You cant keep me in hospital for that long! I will have finished school, I’ll need a job! I’ll be nearly 22 by the time I finish!” Jessica piped in again “don’t forget the two years of retainer use sweetheart, 24 by the time you’re out of them! But lets spin this around, 24 and out of braces with your teeth fixed forever…what a lucky girl. 24 is still a baby!” John nodded “Exactly Jess, the world will be your oyster, but to answer your question – no you won't be in hospital that entire time. I’d estimate 12 months of everyday, when we move to the fixed appliances we will transition you back out, but you can still come to the office for check and observation – but you’ll be able to sleep at home at night. You’re very lucky Jess and your dad are being so supportive, besides – if you start behaving you’ll be an inspirational patient – I am sure we could sort out a job here for you, it’s a win win. The patients get to see somebody who is really committed – and you’ll be on my posters, facebook and website so they’ll be used to your face, I get to keep an eye on your compliance and you get some income” Jessica gushed how great that would be while I nearly cried thinking about the next 4 years and what my life is going to become. I took a deep breath “And there is really no way around this?” John shrugged his shoulder “absolutely, like you were told – buy your way out of the contract – pay for the treatment in full today and you’re out. But if not, no – this is my office and we are doing things my way”. Tears spilled out my eyes as I nodded my agreement, knowing I had no money, no qualifications and no way to get out of it. John clapped enthusiastically.
“GREAT! So we will take everything out your mouth today, get some impressions and see you next week to get the treatment started!” Jessica jumped up quickly “wait! Just before you do, can I get a couple of pictures? Just so we can remember?” John nodded quickly whilst I sighed. Jessica snapped some photos of my grumpy face, with my mouth being held half open by appliances and the facebook snaked around my neck, just as she was about to sit down john piped up “hang on, I’ll put the lip spreader in and you can get some close ups of her mouth, in fact I think we will too for the website – just to journal how it all goes and how simple it could have been for her!” Both of them snapped photos of me like I was a zoo animal, but finally he laid the chair down, put glasses on me and went through the process of removing all my braces and appliances, after what felt like hours he sat me up – my teeth felt slimy but also worse than I ever remember. He handed me a mirror and said “the thing about treatment is it makes everything worse before it’s better – so your teeth probably are more gappy and crooked than before due to the appliances but obviously we never got to finish. Enjoy having an empty mouth for the next few days, when you come back Monday we will have all your first appliances ready and will admit you to the ward.”
I nodded and stood up sheepishly, feeling like my life was over, for the next few years at least!
Probably the best place to end it?!
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Thanks so much for such an amazing story metalfoxy! Loved every chapter! Every twist and turn of poor Ellie’s treatment. It’s up to you if you leave it there, it’s your story! Personally I’d love to hear more about Ellie’s braces, but if you do decide not to continue I have a suggestion! I’m very keen to explore Ellie’s ’residential program’ myself and would be up for maybe writing a few ‘fan fiction’ follow up chapters of my own, just for fun. I’m a slow writer but whenever I get anything done I can PM them to you if you’re interested? And if you like them you could adapt them yourself or post them verbatim on this thread?
Cheers!
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@Anton08 - I notice you comment quite a bit on stories, usually with what you'd like to see happen next, and occasionally quite critically, as you were here. If criticism wasn't intended, perhaps you need to be aware of how your tone sounds to (some) English-speaking readers. As far as I can see, you haven't posted your own story, either in English or German - perhaps it's time for you to give it a go?
@metalfoxy: Great work! An enjoyable story of what I refer to as the "classic" style - a braces story fundamentally about braces - which I always like to see. Hopefully this won't be your only story you post.
As for whether to end it there or not, only you know that. I think a lot of people are "put off" writing by thinking their story needs to have a beginning, middle and end, and continue until they get their braces off (or Thermonuclear war ;) ), but I'm increasingly favouring something more 'episodic'. Perhaps you'll come back to it in a couple of years, perhaps you don't want to write about the residential program but would like to pick up again when she leaves and returns to the 'real world'? Perhaps Ellie finds a boyfriend, despite her stepmother's best efforts, and together they conspire to have Dr John struck off, Jess jailed and finish up with Invisalign? Whatever you decide to do, make sure you're happy with it. Don't be arm-twisted into carrying on and finding you end up disliking the whole work!
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I agree with Dun, you know when the story should end.
If you do decide to add more, it will be appreciated by many of us. I would also enjoy another story from you if you choose to write another one.
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As others have said, the decision to end the story is totally up to you. It’s one of my favorites on the forum, and I’ll be sad to see it done.
If you do decide to continue it, you can always just do small snippets of what Ellie’s life is like, her treatment at the hands of the technicians, or even small episodes detailing the installation of each stage of the braces (along with Ellie’s reaction).
I’d love it if you continued, but of course the choice is all yours.
Thanks for the chapters!