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Author Topic: Ellie's treatment  (Read 38507 times)

Offline metalfoxy

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Ellie's treatment
« on: 07. December 2021, 21:42:46 PM »
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”

Offline metalfoxy

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #1 on: 07. December 2021, 22:35:58 PM »
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”.

Offline thrownaway

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #2 on: 07. December 2021, 23:48:20 PM »
I like where this is going.

Offline castleg

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #3 on: 08. December 2021, 01:38:03 AM »
great start :-* :-* :-*

Offline metalfoxy

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #4 on: 08. December 2021, 14:11:29 PM »
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.

Offline aktivator82

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #5 on: 08. December 2021, 15:55:22 PM »
Really great story... looking for more and it looks like she getting a mouthful of braces and other appliances.

Offline bracessd

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #6 on: 08. December 2021, 17:00:37 PM »
Great start!

Offline metalfoxy

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #7 on: 08. December 2021, 18:11:24 PM »
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?”

Offline Braceface2015

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #8 on: 08. December 2021, 18:35:15 PM »
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.

Offline LispLover

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #9 on: 08. December 2021, 20:32:53 PM »
Great start. Can’t wait to see where this goes.

Offline zrs2017

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #10 on: 09. December 2021, 03:19:12 AM »
really enjoying this so far!

Offline acornjohn2001

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #11 on: 09. December 2021, 08:01:43 AM »
Very good story!

Offline braces37

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #12 on: 10. December 2021, 00:43:13 AM »
This is starting off well. Centering the story on Ellie and Jessica's relationship was definitely a good move.

Offline annasun251

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #13 on: 10. December 2021, 16:10:12 PM »
Can't wait to read more!

Offline ortho218

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Re: Ellie's treatment
« Reply #14 on: 11. December 2021, 22:13:56 PM »
Great start, looking forward to reading more