I do not want braces but I do want straight teeth!
If you work in the world of film, as I do, your days are spent surrounded by actors who spend inordinate amounts of time enhancing every aspect of their body. They stretch, flex, groom, paint, brush, shave, you name it, if it makes them look better, they do it. It’s an industry given.
My job is doing the make-up and hair to prepare actors for their roles, which means I am part of this on-going beautification, although sometimes I have to make the young look older and the good-looking look dastardly or even make women look like men and vice versa. I am well versed in the tricks of the trade.
Every day, I am surrounded by mirrors. They are essential to what I do. The drawback is, even though I am concentrating on my actors, there is no getting away from my own reflection. Since I was a child, I had not been happy with my teeth. As my 50s progressed, I became aware of my teeth moving, especially my lower teeth becoming more crowded.
Eventually, I had had enough. I went to my dentist to get help. I confess I thought that she could take one lower tooth out and the rest would shift into place. In hindsight, I can’t believe I thought this might work! She sent me to see an orthodontic specialist.
I was given choices: metal braces or invisible trays. There was no way I would walk around with metal braces and coloured bands. He told me about Invisalign®, a system of trays or aligners which look like mouthguards and which you change every few weeks as your teeth gradually shift into new positions. That seemed brilliant. I said, let’s go for it.
My intention had been to get treatment for the lower teeth only. But after being advised that upper and lower must be moved together, to achieve a perfect bite. I wore upper and lower trays and at the end of treatment, my dentist replaced a crown on my front tooth with a veneer, which looks completely natural.
What’s interesting is that people know I look different, but they don’t know why. I can see it in their eyes. Originally, I only told my family and one close colleague at work. After a few months, I told a colleague. When I showed her the trays I had just taken out of my mouth, she was flabbergasted. She had no idea.
I am very happy with what I have had done. My orthodontist helped me believe I could have the teeth I wanted and to feel happy about looking in all those mirrors which surround me day in and day out. I would definitely recommend Invisalign®.
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