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Author Topic: Story: Plain Jane  (Read 24499 times)

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #60 on: 12. December 2021, 14:09:40 PM »
Chapter 18

Over the next few days, Jane spent time with Simon, slowly getting to know him. Simon clearly realised that his relationship with Jane was quite different from any other girl he had met, and was also very willing to take things gently. Jane was finally starting to feel that her life could actually be a lot better than it had been. The last year had been a bad one, but over the last weeks, Jane felt that a huge weight had been taken off her, her negativity had gone, she was feeling so much more positive, and in control of her own life.

Jane is getting ready for bed. She's had a shower, and has dried herself off. In her bedroom, she picked up an incontinence pad and her plastic panties, and was about to put them on, but stopped. Since she told that truck to go away, apart from the 'braces dream', she's had no nightmares. And whilst the 'braces dream' made her wake up in a sweat, she had actually been dry since the truck dream. So Jane decided that maybe she could sleep without wearing the pad and plastic panties, so put them back down.

It felt very strange, yet very nice, getting into bed without wearing them: she'd been wearing them for over a year now. But she felt very relaxed.

"Goodnight Peter, I love you!" thought Jane. "Goodnight Simon" said Jane, closing her eyes. "I love you too!" she added without really thinking about it. Clearly things with Simon were going well....


Some time later... it might be minutes, it might be hours..... Jane is sitting in the orthodontist's waiting room: she has a feeling of deja-vu. There's a couple of other teenagers there, a girl and a boy. They both have braces, but the boy has glasses and a facebow, and to be honest, looks a bit geeky. Today she looks over towards them, and realises that she actually recognises them. The boy is Chris Ubergeek, and yes, he was a bit of a geek, and while Jane never really mixed with him (to be honest, she didn't really mix with many people at all!), she remembered that he was a pretty bright person. The girl was Jeanette Silvermouth: she was one of those girls that, despite having braces, was a popular girl. Jane wondered what they were doing now.

Yes, Jane has realised that she is dreaming, and has already decided that she is going to take charge of her dream, but for the moment will just let the dream happen.

"Jane Smith" says a voice. Jane looks to the door, where a lady in her 40's is standing. Jane gets up and follows her into the treatment room. "Sit up in the chair please" she commands rather brusquely. Jane does as told, and sits in the treatment chair. An older man, definitely in his 50's, maybe even in his 60's comes over, and sits on a stool next to her.

"Ah, yes, Jane Smith, we've got a bit of work to do on you today!" he said.

"Oh yes?" says Jane all innocently, "So what are you going to be doing to me then?". The orthodontist seemed to be a bit taken aback: I don't think he was used to his teenage patients questioning him (in fact, Jane wondered if he had ever treated any adults)

"Well" he replied, "We need to fit you with your appliances..."

"And what do they look like?". As in the last time Jane had this dream, Jane wasn't too keen on his manner, but whilst last time she had felt that there was little she could do about it, today she was better prepared, mentally, and definitely intended to do something!

The older woman, his assistant, brought a tray over and put it on the small table next to the orthodontist: Jane could see the plaster moulds of her top and bottom teeth, and each had a metal appliance on it. The assistant gave Jane some dark glasses to put on, then the orthodontist reclined the chair. "Open your mouth please..." he said, seeing to completely ignore Jane's question.

Jane didn't take the glasses, but instead sat up, despite the fact that he had reclined the chair. "I asked you a question, and I'm wanting a reply. Or do you despise your patients that much, that you don't bother to answer their questions?"

Once again, the ortho was shocked. "Well, these are your appliances..." he said, showing Jane the appliances on the plaster moulds.

"And I assume I'll be getting brackets as well?"

"Well, yes, of course....."

"Of course? So why didn't you say so? Anything else I need to know about?"

"No, not really..."

"Not really? So you're not, by any chance, planning to give me some headgear to go with my braces?"

"Ah, yes...."

"And is there anything special about the headgear you're going to give me, that you feel you need to tell me?"

"Umm... no, not really..."

"So, the fact that you are going to fix it in, so that I can't actually remove it, isn't important?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I am going to do that!"

"Have you ever considered the effect on a teenager that being forced to wear headgear to school might have?"

"I don't imagine it's that big a problem"

"You know, I'm not actually surprised that some kids fear the idea of getting braces, with people like you imposing their will"

"I'm not imposing my will on you, your parents signed an agreement"

"And no-one thought to discuss anything with me though? Despite the fact that I'm the one that's going to have to wear all of these torture devices!". Jane swung her feet around, and started to get off the chair.

"What are you doing?" asked the ortho

"I'm leaving..."

"You can't do that!"

"Want to watch me?" Jane stood up, and started to walk to the door.

"Come back, you can't leave...."

Jane opened the door, and walked out. Like with her other dream, when she had told the lorry to 'go away', Jane felt so empowered.

"Well done, Jane!" said Peter, who was waiting for her in reception. Seeing Peter again made Jane feel so good, so positive. "And I'm so glad you're getting to know Simon better..." he added.

The room, and Peter, gently faded away, and Jane continued to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

Offline blueblur1997

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #61 on: 12. December 2021, 18:59:50 PM »
Another good part. Part of me now wonders if Jane will get braces for real.

Offline braces37

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #62 on: 12. December 2021, 19:44:44 PM »
This does a really good job showing how much Jane has developed over the course of the story. And I like the use of lucid dreaming in this manner. I always look forward to new chapters.

Offline annasun251

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #63 on: 13. December 2021, 20:22:06 PM »
Yes, I'm also curious to see what treatment she'll end up with

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #64 on: 13. December 2021, 22:49:39 PM »
Another good part. Part of me now wonders if Jane will get braces for real.

As opposed to fake braces? ???????? (Now That could be a fun story twist!)

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #65 on: 15. December 2021, 19:15:01 PM »
Chapter 19

Jane was at work a day or two later, when her phone rang: it was Sophie, the girl she had chatted with in the makeup department at one of the stores in town. Jane had asked if she knew anyone who could give her 'beginners makeup lessons', and Sophie said she might be able to help - she had a YouTube channel doing makeup.

"Hi Jane!"

"Oh, hello there, Sophie"

"Are you free tonight? If so, I was wondering if you'd like to come over, and we can have a proper chat about what you were wanting to learn - I have an idea". Jane thought for a second, but couldn't think of anything she was supposed to be doing this evening.

"Yeah, I'm free, what time should I come over? And you'll need to send me your address"

"How about 7pm. I'll WhatsApp you my address"

"That sounds good to me - so what's this idea?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe I could setup a second YouTube channel, specifically doing 'beginners makeup techniques', with you being my 'model'. That way you learn, and I get a bit of income from YouTube too. Are you up for it?".

The old Jane would have made an excuse to get out of it, but the new Jane, the more self-assured Jane, thought it might actually be fun. I mean, she'd already been in front of a camera for the new 'weekly IT email / vlog' they had started doing at work.

"Yeah, why not, could be interesting!"

"Ok, so come over as you are, and maybe we can have a go at doing some videoing tonight!"


So, that evening, after having her dinner, Jane borrowed her mum's car, and went to see Sophie. Sophie still lived at home, and had a good sized bedroom, and at one end she has a 'mini studio' set up... nice background, soft furnishings that made the audio sound a lot better, a tripod for her camera with a light around it, and a fancy microphone. To the side, she had a laptop with a second screen, which she used to record and edit her videos.

"So, normally it's just me, so I have just the one chair, but I've got a second chair from downstairs, and moved the tripod back a bit, so we'll both fit it... so come on over, and sit down...". Jane went and sat down with Sophie. "So, I tend to record everything, that way I don't miss anything. Then I'll edit it down... I'm thinking that, at least for the first couple of weeks, I should let you see it before I post it, to make sure you're happy with what I've done"

"That sounds like a good idea" said Jane. Jane was actually quite excited. First of all, this was actually the first time she'd ever done anything for YouTube. Next, it meant that she would at last be learning how to do makeup properly. Plus Sophie seemed to be quite a nice girl.

"Ok, well, I'm going to start the recording...." said Sophie. "Ok, just talk to me a bit, so I can make sure the levels are ok"

"Hi, I'm Jane, and I'm here with Sophie so she can tell me how to do my make-up - properly!" said Jane

"That's fine" replied Sophie. "So I thought I coule introduce you, then ask you a few questions about yourself. If you make a mistake, just go back a bit, then I can edit the bits together. After that, maybe the first thing to talk about is how to properly REMOVE your makeup... we'll need to do that anyway...."

Jane spent over 2 hours with Sophie that first evening: Sophie asked Jane why she actually needed to learn about makeup, and Jane explained that, as school, she didn't really have many friends, so never got involved with other girls who tried out using makeup, and never really wore much makup then either. When Sophie asked about the 'goth look' she had when they first met, Jane explained how that had been a phase she went through as a teen, and decided to try it 'one last time' before 'moving on to be a bit more of an adult'.

"Well, I don't know about you" said Sophie, "but I really enjoyed this evening! I'm looking forward to our next session!".


Offline Embracer

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #66 on: 17. December 2021, 14:59:30 PM »
Even if she can get an early consultation, I don't imagine Jane will be getting her braces until January. You wouldn't want new braces just before Christmas... Well I didn't anyway- got them 3 January a few years ago.

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #67 on: 17. December 2021, 16:10:35 PM »
Well, I can tell you that Jane WILL be going to see a couple of ortho's for consults real soon now, but I thought I'd share some early notes from when I was planning the story:

- Was a bit of a goth
- always liked music (just as well, few friends)
- music was only 'ok' at school, until I played a guitar!
- got into a local metal band at 19 (only girl in band?)
- can drink with the boys!
- makeup course - watch loads of youtube vids?
- get a haircut

but keep avoiding the braces!


So, much of that has happened, and yes, I've done well with avoiding the braces :-)

(I have family visiting at the moment, which is why there may be a bit of a delay before you see the next couple of chapters)

Sparky

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #68 on: 19. December 2021, 22:45:12 PM »
Chapter 20

It's a week later, and Jane managed to get two appointments, with two different orthos, on the same afternoon. She had been told to allow an hour in total for each of the consultations, so the first one was at 1:30pm, the second was at 3:00pm.

Jane felt a bit nervous as Simon parked outside the first orthodontist's building. (While I'm here, maybe I should mention that things are going well with Simon and Jane. They've been out together a couple of times, but are taking things VERY slowly... and strangely, they are both actually enjoying doing so! They've also been around each other houses a few times.)

"You look a bit nervous" commented Simon

"Yeah, that's because I am! It's all very well being brave about the concept, that first step is still a big step" replied Jane.

"Simon briefly touched Jane's hand "You'll be ok! Besides, today is just the 'look but don't touch' day!". that comment made Jane smile - she'd not actually thought about it like that!

It was still only 1:25 as they walked in to the reception. "Hi, I'm Jane Smith, I have a 1:30 appointment"

"Ah yes" said the receptionist. Assuming her badge was the right one, her name was Jenny Stevens. "You are going to be seeing Mr Fixem. He should be with you shortly, I'll let him know you are here. Please go and take a seat through in the waiting room."

"Thank you" replied Jane. Simon and Jane went into the waiting room. The décor looked rather drab and dated, as did the furniture. Yes, the chairs were comfortable, but had clearly been there for many years. There were magazines from the past few years on the table to read while waiting, as well as some well-thumbed comics. There was a mum there with her two children, a boy and a girl in their teens. The girls appeared to be older, and from what Jane could see, her teeth actually looked pretty good, so she was probably near the end of her treatment. Her brother seemed to be 2 or 3 years younger, and his top front teeth pushed his upper lip out, letting her see the ends of his teeth, with obvious gaps between them.... which made Jane suspect he was at the beginning of his treatment.

Both Jane's and Simon's eyes were looking around the room, but neither said anything though. I don't think either were especially impressed.

An older lady walked in to the waiting room. "Miss Smith?" she asked. "Mr Fixem is ready for you now, please follow me...". Jane and Simon followed her into a relatively large treatment room. Like the waiting room, it was clearly not new.

"Good afternoon, Miss Smith, I'm Mr Fixem" said the ortho, a man in his 50s or even 60s. "Please, take a seat" he said, indicating the treatment chair. He then turned to Simon. "And I'm guessing you must be a friend of Miss Smith's?"

"Yes, I'm Simon Jones" he replied

"Welcome, Mr Jones, why don't you pull that stool forwards, and sit to the side, here....". He turned back to Jane: "So, I'll start off by taking a look at your teeth, then we can discuss what treatment you'll need...". His assistant passed Jane some dark glasses, which she put on - she recognised these from wearing something very similar at the dentist. Mr Fixem picked up what we know (and Simon also recognised, form having had braces a few years ago) as lip retractors, but Jane wasn't sure what they were. "Let me put these in so I can see better - can you open your lips please?"

With the lip retractors holding Jane's lips back out of the way, Mr Fixem reclined the chair, and adjusted the inspection lamp to shine into Jane's mouth: he could now see the first part of Jane's problems... her crooked front teeth. He spent a couple of minutes looking into Jane's mouth, occasionally saying "ah" or "hmm" or something similar, also "ah, you still have your wisdom teeth...". Then he got his camera out, and took some pictures of her teeth, then put in a mirror, so he could see the occlusal surfaces, and took more pictures. Finally, with the lip retractors removed, he took some profile and front pictures.

"So, let me try and explain the problems that you have with your teeth. First of all, your upper and lower jaws are actually in a good alignment. However, as I'm sure you're aware, your teeth are severely crowded: all four of your canines are undescended, as there's simply insufficient space for them. Your lower incisors are rotated due to the lack of space for them, and your upper central incisors are in a cross bite - again due to a lack of space - with your upper lateral incisors also being rotated. I also notice that you have 3 molars that are slightly tipped inwards, and a couple of other molars that are slightly out of alignment. And, to be honest, I also think your upper jaw is a little too narrow too.

"The good news is that your problems can be treated. To start with, I need to make more space in your mouth, so that I can move your teeth into a much better position. I see that you still have your 4 wisdom teeth, so I would remove those, mainly to prevent them causing future problems with your teeth - many people don't ever get them, and you don't really need them. Another reason is that they tend to be difficult to keep clean, and often suffer decay. In addition, I will need to extract your 4 front premolars, in order to make space for your other teeth to move in to."

"In terms of braces: I would fit a removable expander to tip your molars outwards, and at the same time slightly expand your upper arch. I will need to fit brackets to all of your teeth, and you'll need to wear various elastics through much of your treatment, to help move your teeth into their correct positions, as well as a spring to help create space for your upper central incisors.". He paused.

Jane was VERY glad that Simon was there with her, as all of this information was coming at her so fast that she wasn't really able to take it all in. To be honest, I think Simon was struggling too, but he wasn't too worried, as it should all be written into the written treatment plan.

"After your treatment has finished, you'll need to wear retainers: full time for at least 6 months, then at night"

"So how long will the treatment take?" Jane asked.

"I would estimate at 18 to 24 months"

"I'm guessing that Invisalign isn't an option for me then?"

"No, I'm afraid not. In fact, I'd not even recommend the use of ceramic brackets, simply due to the forces needed to move some of your teeth"

Jane asked a couple of other simple questions, which Mr Fixem answered.

"So, I'll put together a full treatment plan, along with a price, and get it in the post to you..."

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the car: the whole thing had taken no more than about 30 minutes.

"You don't look too happy" said Simon. "Something tells me you didn't really like him...."

"No, I didn't. I mean, I'm a potential customer, so where were his 'people skills'? I was treated like a kid - you know, at no point did he actually ask me what I wanted, he just went ahead, and told me what needed to be done. I mean, what was your ortho like?"

"Well, Jane, bear in mind it was maybe 10 years ago, when I was a teen. Plus it was freebie NHS treatment, so basically take-it-or-leave-it. I never got any sort of treatment plan, and no-one really explained what my problem was or what they were doing to me, but the place at the hospital was a lot nicer than that, and at least the orthos smiled! Ah, yes, I got looked at by several orthos over the time of my treatment, but that's the NHS for you."

"I hope the next one is better: this guy almost reminded me of the bad ortho in my dream!"

"I'm sure it will be better... I mean, I can't imagine it being much worse!"

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #69 on: 21. December 2021, 19:56:43 PM »
Chapter 21

Jane and Simon were waiting in the rather pleasant waiting room of the second orthodontist. Jane hadn't been over happy with the first ortho that they had been to see an hour or so ago, and she was hoping this one would be a bit nicer. So far she was impressed: the receptionist had been very pleasant, and the decor of the waiting room felt quite relaxing. There had been another patient there when they arrived, but she had been called through a couple of minutes ago.

"Miss Jane Smith?" asked a smiling young lady with perfect teeth.

"Yes, that's me.." Jane replied

"Hi there, I'm Jan, Mr Sampson's assistant: would you like to come with me please?" she asked. Jane and Simon got up from their chairs, and followed Jan through to the treatment room.

"Good afternoon, I'm John Sampson, you must be Jane Smith: would you prefer that I call you Jane or Ms Smith?"

"Jane would be fine.."

"Ok, well would you both like to come over with me and have a sit down. And who is this that you've brought with you today?". John was leading them to a set of 3 chairs... (I'm not talking lounge type chairs, more high-quality office chairs, but nicer than office chairs!).

"Oh, this is Simon, my...." Jane paused, then looked at Simon. "Are we boyfriend and girlfriend yet?"

"I'm not sure" replied Simon. "I guess we probably are by now...."

"This is my boyfriend, Simon, he's here to be my second pair of ears, as well as to help me stay calm!"

"Hello there, Simon, take a seat. I always like it when a new patient brings someone along, as you say, it's another pair of ears: I'm sure you won't remember everything we talk about today. So, Jane, before I take a look at your teeth, I'd like to find out a bit about you. Yes, you already filled in our form, so I know you live reasonably locally, and that you are 26, and work in IT, but what I'm interested in is why you are here today. What do you feel is your problem. And what are you looking to achieve out of any treatment?".

Jane was quickly warming to John: it was very clear that he was looking beyond just her possible treatment, apparently wanting to understand her desires, rather than just her needs.

"Well, to be honest, I'm rather embarrassed by my teeth, I call them 'my war zone'. I know my actual teeth are all in pretty good condition, but it's clear that they aren't positioned where they should be!"

"So, what's your 'endgame'? What sort of result are you looking for?"

"Well, I'd like them to be straight, I guess"

"What do you mean by 'straight'? The perfect Hollywood smile? Or maybe something a bit more natural, but 'mechanically' sound"

"What do you mean by 'mechanically sound'?" asked Jane.

"Well, sometimes, when teeth are moved, they end up in the 'perfect looking' position, but that position is often not stable: without constant retention, the teeth will tend to move. However, it may be that you can end up with a 'very adequate' look, but with the teeth in a more stable position."

"Ah, ok... yes, 'very adequate' would probably do for me"

"What's the main thing that troubles you about how your teeth look at the moment?"

"Two things really... first of all, these top two at the front, I'd like them to be, like, out front with the others. Then I'd like my canines to line up with my other teeth too"

"Ok, that sounds good. Now, reading your medical history, I'm not seeing anything about previous orthodontic treatment - you never had any treatment as a teen?"

"No, I didn't.... a bit of a story there...."

"Yes? I'd like to hear it, if you're willing to share..."

"Well, as a kid, I was a bit of a loner, not too many friends at school. Definitely picked on. When I was about 12, I needed glasses, and mum, being mum, chose a pair for me. Not at all flattering, and I got called all the normal things, 'four-eyes' and that sort of thing. So when it came up that I would probably need braces, I refused. I was just about coping as a four-eyes with crooked teeth, but as a four-eyes with braces? No way! I had big arguments with my mum, and my brother backed me up, and I ended up telling her I'd not comply with anything that got done to me... and I won, so no braces. Oh yeah, I was reminded last week about the bad dreams too, with some very extreme treatment, and a not very nice orthodontist."

John smiled when Jane mentioned the extreme treatment. "How extreme was the treatment that you dreamed of, do you remember?"

"Oh, I do, I had the dream again last week: big expander screw things top and bottom, huge metal brackets, and then two of those headgear things - ah yes, non-removable headgear things at that!"

"Well", said John, still smiling "some of that is still used, but the things we use are quite small these days, and the 'fixed-in headgear' - I think was probably more of a scare-tactic than a reality. Oh, and I hope I'm not too scary! But yes, I can understand what you're saying, I know I wasn't the most popular kid at school either. Ok, well I've got a good feeling about what you're looking for, so why don't you come over into the treatment chair, and I can take a look at your teeth, then we can discuss what options there are for making your teeth look the way you want. Simon, there's a spare stool over there if you'd like to join us".

Jane was feeling very positive as she went over to the chair: John was clearly trying to find out what she wanted, rather than just 'what needed to be done'. She sat in the chair, and Jan, John's assistant, passed her some dark glasses.

"You'll probably want to wear these, the light is rather bright!" explained Jan. With the glasses on, John reclined the chair slightly, and pointed the light at her mouth.

"So, let me have a look like this, then I'll put in some 'lip spreaders' to hold your lips out the way, so I can have a better look. Then I'll scan your teeth. And along the way, I'll take some pictures"

"Scan?"

"Oh, yes, I have a lovely bit of tech that lets me do a 3D scan of inside your mouth, then we can have a look on the computer screen, and better see what to do.... So, can you start by just relaxing your mouth, so I can see how your lips sit...". Jane relaxed her mouth, and John took a couple of pictures. "Ah, that's good, you don't seem to have any problems fully closing your lips: that can be a problem for some people. Ok, how about giving me your most natural smile....". Jane smiled, letting John see how her lips lined up with her teeth.

Again, John took pictures. "Ok, now trying to keep yout teeth together, give me a big wide smile.... Lovely!". Of course, he could now clearly see how Jane's top central incisors sat inside of her lower incisors.

Jan passed John the lip spreaders. "I recognise those" said Jane.

"Sounds like you've already had a consultation somewhere else: a good idea, I'd always recommend getting 2 or 3 opinions. To be honest, getting a good result from treatment is as much about having a good relationship between the orthodontist and the patient, as it is the actual treatment itself." Jane opened her mouth, allowing John to fit the lip spreaders. John took a good look inside Jane's mouth, and took several pictures, some using a mirror, so the pictures could show the full upper or lower arch.

"Ok, so next I'll be using the tech to scan your teeth... if you look at the screen up there, you can see what I'm doing too...". John picked up what could best be described as a long thick pen on the end of a piece of cable, and put it into Jane's mouth. As he moved the 'pen' around, Jane and Simon could see a 3D image of her teeth, her jaws and her palate appearing on the screen. John paused for a moment, as he looked at the image, and rotated it in 3D. "Ok, almost done, there's a couple of bits that need a little more scanning..." Once again, he put the 'pen' into her mouth, and scanned: as he did so, Jane could see some extra detail being added to the image.

"Ok, that's all done, thank you, you've been very patient with me. Would you go with Jan back to where we were before. I need to do a couple of things here, then I'll be over with you."

Jane and Simon went back to the more comfortable chairs, and were joined by John a few minutes later. In his hand he had a large tablet.

"Something tells me that you're not going to be telling me that you can fix my teeth with those invisible braces?" said Jane, smiling.

"Yes, Jane, I think you would be quite correct there! Invisilign can do quite a lot now, but I think your teeth are a couple of steps beyond that!" explained John, smiling back. "Ok, so let me try and explain to you what the actual issues with your teeth are, and suggest a couple of ways we can go about making things better. By the way, do ask questions at any time... So, the fundamental issue is that you have too many teeth for the space in your mouth" he explained, showing them both the scan of her mouth. "That's why your canine teeth can't come down - or go up - to fit with the others. It's also why your lower teeth are crooked, and why your upper front teeth have been either rotated or pushed out of the way."

"I'm guessing my wisdom teeth are to blame? My dentist says I should have them taken out"

"Actually, no. It's a popular myth that wisdom teeth cause your front teeth to get crowded, but research has shown that's not the case. And in your case, I believe your issues started well before your wisdom teeth came into the picture. But I can say that, to achieve any sort of result, you will need some teeth removing, just to create some space in your mouth. So, one common thing we do to make space in a person's mouth is to remove the front pre-molars... they are the small molars that are normally just behind the canines... so here's what your mouth would look like with all 4 of your front premolars removed".

John pressed a couple of buttons on the tablet, and the image changed to show Jane's mouth without the pre-molars. "So, with those four premolars out of the way, we could use fixed braces to...." he continued, and using his tablet pen to move things on the screen, he roughtly dragged the canines into position. "... bring your canines down in their right position. You can see that there's still some space left, so now we can move the lateral incisors back a bit - we'd probably use a small spring on the archwire to help with that - and make enough space to allow your top cental incisors to be moved out, and into a more normal position."

"How do you move them out? Will I need some sort of appliance to push them forwards?"

"Not necessarily. The incisors only have one root, and compared to molars, are relatively easy to move, so the archwire, maybe with some help of some tiny wires, will pull them out just fine. Of course, when we do that bit, we'll need to hold your jaws open a little, to allow the top incisors to 'hop over' your lowers: there's several ways to do that, one of which would use a removable appliance, and we could then add a spring to help push the two teeth forwards. But there are other ways to do that too. Personally, I'd like to leave the decision on that till we get to that part of the treatment, as it will depend on the relative positions of your other teeth at the time."

"Ah, ok..."

"Now, down the bottom, like at the top, there's plenty of space to move your lower canines into position, and straighten your lower incisors." The image on the screen wasn't perfect, but it nicely explained how Jane's teeth would fit together, and what needed to be done to get to that state.

"And my wisdom teeth?"

"They stay where they are: in your case, they have all errupted, they are straight and have just enough space, and they are all in great condition". He paused a moment. "There is another treatment option, which would require removing your widom teeth, but I'll come onto that in a moment. I need to explain about your molars: what I just described would give you a good simple cosmetic fix for your front teeth, but I don't think that what you are looking for, is it, I think you're looking to get your molars sorted out as well?"

"Yes, I guess I do..."

"So, your upper arch really needs to be a tiny bit wider, and three of your upper molars are tipped inwards, causing what we call a 'cross-bite' with your lower molars: left untreated that cold give you jaw pain in the future, and perhaps uneven tooth wear. Specifically the issue is with these two main molars here" he said, pointing at the screen, "as well as this rear premolar. So I would need to use some form of expander to push those three teeth out, as well as widen your arch"

"Ah, so an expander like in my dream then?" asked Jane

"It depends. Do you remember anything about it?"

"Well, it was very large, and very much glued in!"

"So what I'm proposing  is a bit similar, but nowhere near as big. It would be a 'Quad Helix' device: Jan, can you....". Before he'd actually finished his sentence, Jan had brought over a tooth model, with a lightweight appliance on the teeth. "So, this is a Quad Helix appliance...". The appliance had 2 bands, on the front full molars, with heavy wires pushing against the other molars to the front. Between the bands was another wire, in a sort of 'box' shape, with curly springs at the 4 corners. In terms of bulk, it is a lot less bulky than the common screw-expander. "In your case we would fit the two bands to the second molars - that's one further back compared to this model - as this second molar is needing to be straightened too."

"OK. And you said there was a second option?"

"Actually, there's two and a half options. Staying with what we've just looked at, a tiny change to what I just described would be to remove this REAR premolar, the one that's tipped inwards, rather than the front one. Whilst that would mean we would need to pull the front premolar back, it would mean that there's then just two molars that need their crossbite fixing."

"Wouldn't that take longer though? I mean having to move that front premolar?" asked Simon.

"Not really, not overall... we're just trading moving a front premolar backwards versus tipping the rear premolar up straight, so the time is pretty much the same" explained John. "So the OTHER other option.... rather than removing your premolars, we would take out your wisdom teeth - that in itself is slightly more complex. We would then need to move all of your molars and pre-molars back into the space vacated by your wisdom teeth, and tipping the 3 molars back straight again as we do it. It's a lot easier to do with children, but it can be done in adults, especially someone of your sort of age. But that would require that you wore headgear at night, and a lip bumper, along with several elastics. So it could be done, but it would mean your treatment would be more complicated, and a LOT longer"

"What do you mean by 'a LOT longer'?" asked Jane

"Well, my guess is that if we extract your pre-molars, and go that route, then the treatment would take something like 18 months, maybe a bit longer. If you go with the second option, I think you could probably add a year or more onto the treatment time. The only reason I suggested it was to show that there WAS another option if you were dead set against having your pre-molars removed. Look, why don't I show you some of the hardware that I've been talking about....". John got up, walked over to some shelves, and picked up several orthodontic models.

"I'll start with a couple of appliances that you WON'T be getting, so you can see that the Quad Helix appliance actually isn't too bad. This one shows a typical removable expander - the problem with this is that, with your teeth tipped inwards, you wouldn't be able to get it easily into the top of your mouth."

"Ah, yes, my sister had a big removable appliance, gave her quite a lisp..." said Simon.

"Yes, unfortunately they do, although the speech does improve with practice. Now this is an RPE... a Rapid Palatal Expander. It expands the palate, but can't tip the teeth into position quite so easily: we use a lot of these with teenagers, to make their upper jaw wider. By comparison, the Quad Helix is a lot less obtrusive than either of these, but a bit slower.... and we have to go slow with adults anyway. Now, as far as brackets go, there's several available, these ones are quite small, and are probably what I'd use for you" explained John, passing the model to Jane. Jane was pleased to see that the brackets really were quite small, so not as obvious as what some of the others kids had when she was at school.

"Aren't there options for less-visible, white, braces?"

"Yes, there are, but in your case I'd not really suggest them, simply because of what we need to mechanically do to your teeth, which would slightly extend your treatment time, and maybe give us a few problems. Besides, while people think they are 'invisible', they aren't really as invisible as they think - I've had several people comment along the lines of 'I don't really know whay I bothered'!"

"Ah, ok...."

"Now for the horror from your dreams: this is a facebow - removable I hasten to add! - and this..." said John, picking up a second model, ".. this is a lip-bumper. So the facebow uses external straps to pull your upper teeth back, and the lip bumper uses the pressure from your lower lip to push your lower teeth back... obviously only needed if you went for the wisdom teeth extraction option."

As Jane looked at the models, and the facebow and the lip bumper, her tongue was going around her mouth.

"Earlier on, you were talking about 'a good mechanical result'.... that my teeth would probably fit together better..."

"Yes, and I can't really make any comment on that until I've had a more detailed look with the computer simulation, to see how your teeth will 'mesh' together."

"So, I'm guessing you'd recommend the first treatment, just removing Jane's pre-molars?" asked Simon

"Yes, it is the more normal treatment, and it would be a lot simpler for Jane. At the end of the day, we have to remove some teeth from Jane's mouth, to make space for the other teeth. And removing the premolars is usually much simpler than removing wisdom teeth"

"And no need to remove BOTH the pre-molars AND the wisdom teeth?"

"From what I've seen so far, no. Now, one thing I've not mentioned yet is that, whatever treatment you opt for, you will need to wear retainers. Typically I would fit a bonded retainer to your bottom teeth - that's a wire glued to the back of your teeth - and for the top you would have a removable retianer. For the first six month that will need to be full-time wear, then after that, just at night. There's two types of retainers, the clear plastic ones... they look like the invisible braces, and then there's the Hawley Retainer, which looks like this". John picked up a model that had a hawley retainer on it.

"The plastic is very thin, and you might have a lisp for a few days, but most people get used to them  within the week. But the Hawley is more 'forgiving' - by which I mean if you don't wear it for a few days, and your teeth move a little, the springs will tend to move the teeth back into place more gently. Also, Hawleys tend to last longer than the clear retainers"

"When would you decide which type of retainer I'd get?" asked Jane.

"There's no need to decide until just before you need it, and if you have a particular preference for any reason, you can tell me. And, in principle, you could have both - wear the clear one during the day, and the Hawley at night."

"Ah, yes that sounds like a good idea" said Jane

Now, before I would start any treatment, I would need to take a full set of x-rays, so I can see the state of the roots of Jane's teeth, and if there's a problem there, then we would need to re-consider the treatment options, but I hasten to add that that doesn't happen very often. The liklihood is that we would proceed the way we've been talking about."

"And will I get a 'Hollywood smile', or just the 'pretty good smile', not that I'm really worried which I get?"

"That's actually a very good question. From what I can see of the shape of your teeth, and from what I've seen on the computer, I think you will be very pleased with the result: as well as sending you printouts of the pictures I've taken, for your reference, I'll include a computer prediction of what yout teeth might look like"

"Oh, that will be interesting to see. So what happens next then?" asked Jane

"Well, I will look at the photos and play with the computer scans again, and double check that everything I've said to you is correct, plus check how well all your teeth will fit together. If it's all ok, and I think it will be, then I'll put together all three treatment plans, and costs for each, and get it sent off to you."

"And if Jane decides to come to you for her treatment, what then?"

"So, two initial visits. At the first, we would need to extract Jane's premolars - assuming that's the way she wants to go - and take X-rays, neither of which should take long. Then we would insert the spacers, to make space for the molar bands..."

"Ah yes," commented Simon, "I remember those..."

"Yes, I'm afraid they can be a bit sore. So the spacers would stay in for about a week, by which time we would have your appliance, and we could fit everything at the second visit."

Ten minutes later, they were back in Simon's car. "So, what did you think then?" he asked Jane.

"I thought he was ten times better and nicer, than the guy we saw earlier. He treated me as a person, asking what *I* wanted. And then he explained everything very well, I understood everything - more than I can say for the first guy - and he had no problems when we asked questions"

"Yes, I got a good feeling too. So, do you want to get a third opinion, and maybe a fourth?"

"Well, the actual treatment he suggested wasn't THAT much different from the first guy, so would a third opinion be any different? To be honest, I'm feeling pretty good about this guy."


Offline blueblur1997

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #70 on: 22. December 2021, 07:09:34 AM »
I smell a major change in treatment coming.

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #71 on: 23. December 2021, 16:42:47 PM »
Chapter 22


"So what do we want to do now?" asked Simon. The second appointment had taken a lot longer than the first one, but it was still not yet 4 pm.

"Can we go for a bike ride? There's somewhere I'd like to take you"

"Ok, why not! So back to my place to get my bike and the bike rack, then over to... hey, we could save time if you were ok using our spare bike, like you did before..."

"Sounds fine with me."

"So where are we going?"

"It's about a 15 minute drive, then a 10 or 15 minute ride, don't worry, whilst I'm not exactly sure where on a map it is, I know the route well, Peter and I used to go there."

Over at Simon's place they loaded the bikes, plus grabbed something to drink to take with them. Once they got going, Jane remembered the route well... they went out of town, into the countryside, albeit not all that far away.

"Ok, coming up soon there should be a small car park..." said Jane. Simon slowed down a bit, and sure enough there was a place for about 4 or 5 cars to park: noone else was there. The got the bikes off the car, then rode off into the woods together, Jane leading the way. After riding gently for about 15 minutes, Jane stopped, and got off her bike.

"Ok, we can leave the bikes just over here... don't worry, they'll be safe! We have a short walk...". Simon had never been here before, so it was all new to him, and he was wondering where Jane was taking him. Jane took Simon's hand, and led him along a tiny path.

"Listen" said Jane, stopping a moment.

"Hmm, what am I listening for?"

"Well, partly the silence, but I can hear it in the background...."

"Ah, a stream or something?" Jane started walking again, and a couple of minutes later they came to a stream, with a lovely grassy area by the stream. Apart from the sound of the water, and a couple of birds in the distance, it was lovely and silent. Simon took off the small bag he was wearing, that contained their drinks, and they sat down together on the grass.

"Peter and I started coming here when we were teens, we actually cycled the whole way back then. Then we got a bit lazier, and drove like we did today. It's so peaceful here. We hardly ever met anyone else here, and I doubt anyone else will be here today".

"You know, Jane, when I first met you, you were quite withdrawn, but you've changed in the last few months: you seem to be so much more cheerful and relaxed." said Simon as he took a drink.

"Well, I think getting these hearing aids was a big step: I'm able to join in a lot more, now that I can hear things better. Plus, I think part of that is this really nice guy I've met..."

"Yeah, but it goes deeper than that. I think you've finally managed to deal with a few issues in your life... I mean, how long since you've had that truck nightmare?"

"Oh, wow, that's weeks ago. Actually, there's something I never told you.... I had to wear an incontinence pad with plastic pants when I went to bed, because I'd wet myself when I had that dream, which was far too many times. You're right, I feel so much better since I stopped having that dream... in fact, I stopped wearing the pad and pants, and it's so much better. And I've not had the nasty braces dream again either."

"And how you feeling about.... Peter?"

"A lot better... a lot LOT better! You have a lot to do with that... just letting me tell you about him. Making me go and talk to mum and dad. I think they are feeling a lot better too. I feel I can actually move on with my life, knowing that Peter is still with me, in my heart and in my memories. I think he'd like you..... You know, I've wanted to come back here so many times since he died... this place was so special to Peter and me, but I've not been able to do it, until today. I don't know why, but today it just seemed the right thing to do, to come here with you...."

"So, are you ok with how things are going between us?"

"I'm very ok with how things are going between us. I don't know about you, but I've actually been really enjoying that we've been taking things slowly..."

"Funnily enough, so have I. I guess we've both had boyfriends and girlfriends before, and we know what the sex thing is about, so I'm not desperate in the same way to 'prove myself'"

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean. But I'm thinking maybe it's time to take the next step...."

"What do you mean?" asked Simon. Jane gently pushed Simon backwards, so he was lying on the grass, and then she got on top of him, her legs straddling his waist.

"I mean THIS" said Jane. She leaned over towards him, and gently put her lips to his, and gave Simon a very gentle kiss on his lips, which she then repeated. Then she put her tongue out a little, licking his lips. Simon put his tongue out too, and their tongues touched, and played together. Simon pulled his tongue back, and Jane slipped her tongue into his mouth, running its tip over Simon's lovely straight teeth. Then she invited Simon's tongue into her mouth. Normally, Jane was a bit apprehensive about anything to do with her mouth, and her teeth, but this was Simon, and Jane trusted Simon: she knew he would never make fun of her teeth.

Simon's tongue slipped between Jane's lips, and touched her crooked lower teeth. He move it up, and came to the slight gap, where her top central incisors should be, but were bent backwards, behind her lower teeth. He pushed his tongue in further, so that it could touch those top middle teeth, then moved slightly to the side, where he could feel her crooked lateral incisors. Jane seemed to be ok with what he was doing, so he went a bit further with his tongue, feeling Jane's undecended canines: of the lot, they felt the strangest to Simon.

The kiss finally ended, and as Simon looked at Jane, he could see she was smiling. "You look happy!"

"That's because I AM happy - I'm VERY happy. I'm in a beautiful place, here in the woods, next to this lovely stream, with someone I trust and care for.... And I just kissed him for the first time! It's been a long time since I've felt as good this...."

It was a pleasant afternoon, and Jane sat there and lay there with Simon for quite some time. Sometimes chatting, sometimes in silence. Sometimes just holding hands, sometimes with their arms around each other. Oh, and sometimes kissing.

For the first time in a long time Jane felt that she had a life again!

Offline braces37

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #72 on: 25. December 2021, 14:21:46 PM »
FIRST KISS! Jane and Simon's relationship is handled well, they feel realistic. I look forward to future developments.

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #73 on: 27. December 2021, 01:18:35 AM »
Chapter 23


Peter stopped the car outside Jane's house.  "Come on in for a cuppa, and say hello to mum..."

"Yeah, ok... "

Mum was in the kitchen. "Hi jane... and hello there, Simon, nice to see you!"

"Thank you" replied Simon.

"Mum.... there's something we should tell you.... we're officially going out with each other, as of today!"

"Oh, that IS good news.... take care of her, Simon!"

"Oh, I will, although she seems to be a lot better at looking after herself these days."

Jane went and put the kettle on. "You want one, mum?"

"Yes, that would be nice." she replied. "Hey, Simon, why don't you join us for tea this evening? There's plenty enough for you as well"

"That sounds great, but I'm not sure what Sarah has planned for dinner"

"Well, why don't you call her, and if she's not started anything, tell her to come over too, it will be nice to have a few more people around the table!" said Jane's mum.

So, Simon called Sarah, and she hadn't started anything, so said she'd come over soon.

"I'll leave you two out here for the moment..." said mum, walking out of the kitchen, and heading to the lounge.

Jane stood there looking at Simon. It was clear she was in love with him. Madly in love with him. As she looked at him, Jane realised there was something she needed to tell him. Something she should have said earlier on. She went to him, and took his hands. "Simon, there's something I need to say to you... I should have said it earlier.... umm.... I.... err... I... ummm". This was something that Jane had never really said before to a boyfriend. She took a breath. "I love you, Simon!". Finally Jane was able to relax: she'd said those very important three words. Once she had said them, she wondered why she had been so worried about saying them.

"Yes, I think I'd worked that out, but it's nice to hear it. You know I love you too, don't you?"

"Yes, I think I'd worked that out too, but it's still very nice to hear it!". Jane and Simon put their arms around each other, and hugged. For the first time since... well, since Peter died, Jane felt very good. Loved. Happy. Safe. Relaxed. And lots of other similar feelings too.

A little later, Sarah arrived, as did Jane's dad, and they all had a great meal.


It's a few days later.... Jane rang Simon just after tea. "Hello my lovely!" said Simon. Jane loved the way Simon answered the phone to her, he always said something nice.

"Hello, the love of my life!" she replied. "My two treatment plans arrived today, so I was hoping you might come over, and we can take a look at them together..."

"Yeah, ok, give me a few minutes, and I'll be on my way...". Simon arrived not long after. They went up to Jane's room, and together looked at the treatment plans. They dismissed the treatment suggested by Mr Fixem pretty quickly. Ok, yes, it was cheap, but Jane had already decided that there was no way she was having Mr Fixem as her ortho!

The question was whether the second ortho they had visited, Mr John Sampson, was a good choice, or whether Jane should go see another ortho or two.

Jane and Simon read his treatment plan, which confirmed what he had told them, and included several printouts showing her teeth as there were now, and computer images that showed how her teeth should look after treatment... and they looked really nice. He gave 2 options (he explained that he had decided not to include the option of extracting one of the second premolars - rather than a first premolar - as it didn't actually make the treatment any faster or better)

He strongly recommended the option of having 4 premolars removed, and using a quad helix to tip straight and expand her upper teeth. Towards the end of her treatment, when her crossbite of her two upper incisors was fixed, she would need a 'suitable appliance' to hold her teeth apart, the specifics if that appliance would be discussed nearer the time, but could include a removable appliance.

The plan explained how elastics would be used to help move her incisors into place, and a spring used to push the lateral incisors to the sides, to make space for her central incisors. The treatment time for this option would be 18 to 24 months, a lot depending on how well / quickly Jane's teeth moved.

The plan also commented that, from what the computer showed, Jane's teeth should be fairly stable mechanically, with the possibility of maybe slightly 'adjusting' a few teeth to make things even better: but that conversation would need to be had after the end of her treatment.

He also included the second option, of having her wisdom teeth removed, rather than the premolars. This would, of course, require the wearing of extra-oral traction (= headgear) and a lip-bumper at night, and an increased treatment time of 30 to 36 months.

In both cases, treatment was conditional on her x-rays showing that she had suitably good roots to her teeth.

If Jane wanted to accept either treatment plan, she would need to sign the agreement. The next step would be to (on the same day) have Xrays taken, spacers fitted, and her teeth extracted. one to two weeks later (to give her gums time to start healing) she would have her brackets and appliances fitted.

The price he quoted wasn't cheap (it was actually about 10% more than Mr Fixem's quote), but it was pretty much what Jane and Simon had expected. (The second option, due to the extended treatment time, was very slightly more expensive). And, of course, there was a monthly payment option, which Jane knew she could afford (especially since she'd had her promotion)

"So, what do you think, Jane? Do you want to go for another consultation?"

"No, I don't think I do. This treatment plan from Mr Sampson seems pretty ok to me, as does his price. More importantly, I actually trust him: he explained everything well, and didn't try and duck any of our questions."

"I assume you're going to go with his suggested option... or do you have a strange desire to have to wear headgear?"

Jane smiled: "No, I have no strange desires!"

"How do you actually feel about getting braces then?"

"Amazingly ok. I mean, I know my treatment will be hard for me at times, but seeing what my teeth are going to look like afterwards, I'm feeling so much more positive about things. So, I guess I ned to sign the paperwork, and make some appointments...."

"I'm assuming you'd like me to come along again?"

"Well, I was going to say no, but they suggest that I don't drive after my extractions, so can you take me to my first appointment. I think I'll be ok after that though... unless you want to come and watch me?"

"No, that's fine... as long as you're ok, then I'm happy. But if you DO change your mind, I'm here for you! But I'll happily take you to the first appointment"

 
The next morning, whilst at work, Jane called the ortho's office to confirm that she'd like Mr Sampson to treat her, and to make her initial appointments: the first to have the spacers installed, and her premolars removed, and the second to actually get her braces. Jane felt surprisingly relaxed as she confirmed the times and dates.

Offline Sparky

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Re: Story: Plain Jane
« Reply #74 on: 27. December 2021, 16:08:40 PM »
Chapter 24


Jane opened the front door to Simon. He was there to take her to her first orthodontic appointment.

"Hi Jane, my lovely...." he said in greeting.

"Hi Simon..." said Jane, rather more sedately.

"Is something up? You really don't sound like your new-normal perky positive self"

"It's about my braces..."

"What about them?"

"I've been thinking about them all night, and I'm not sure I really want them". To say Simon was shocked was a big understatement

"Jane... I thought you really wanted them?"

"I did, but thinking about having extractions and all that... I'm just not so sure". Simon went to Jane, and put his arms around her.

"Jane... Jane... Jane... my darling Jane...." he said, still holding her in his arms. "Hey, let's have a cuppa, and sit down and chat about... well about what's bugging you". Simon could tell there was something going on that he didn't know about. Out in the kitchen, Jane made three cups of tea. She gave one to Simon, then took the other two through to the lounge, and put them on the small table.

"Peter, there's a cuppa here for you...." she called. A few moments later a guy in his mid-20's appeared. 5ft 10ins tall, casually dressed, but rather good looking. He sat down next to Jane, and picked up the third cup of tea.

"Peter, what are you doing here?" asked Simon

"Probably the same as you: trying to work out why Jane doesn't want to get her braces. She was feeling so positive about them yesterday". He put his arm around Jane, and pulled her close, and she put her arms around him: it was clear that they deeply loved each other.

Jane closed her eyes: she was confused too. She thought that she'd managed to get over all of her anxieties about getting braces. But here she was, feeling very unsure about getting them.

"Peter, my darling, what SHOULD I do?" she asked. "I think I'm still rather scared about getting braces"

"Don't be scared, sis. Yes, you're going to be a bit sore when you have your teeth removed, and you'll be a bit sore when you first get your braces, but think about the end result: you're going to have a beautiful smile". Yes, that WAS what it was all about, wasn't it? Jane hated the way her teeth looked, but Peter was, as ever, quite right.

"Don't worry sis, Simon and I will both be there for you, all the way...."

Jane relaxed a little, and opened her eyes again.

Oh.....

Jane was holding her pillow tightly: she was in bed, and it was clear she'd just had another dream. A rather strange and worrying dream. And a rather nice one too, because the two loves of her life were there, being there for her. But more worrying was what her dream was about: Jane thought that she had overcome all her anxieties about getting braces, but clearly not.

Jane took a deep breath. Today was the day that she was due to get her premolars removed, and her separators installed. Oh, and Xrays taken too. All getting things ready for her to have braces, to finally fix her teeth. And she actually felt ok about that - whilst Peter wouldn't be there for her, Simon would be, and he was a very worthy replacement.

It was about this point when Jane realised quite how much she loved Simon.