.....after 26 years of life on Earth, I finally decided to see an orthodontist regarding the increasing gaps on my teeth....

.....never in my life did I think that I would ever get braces....and as an adult at that!!....but the image in the mirror is becoming scary.....so I went to see Dr. Angeles Orrosco.....

....the diagnosis was grim....the reason why I have increasing gaps is that I have 4 missing teeth!!....not missing because I had them pulled, missing because it's just my bone structure.....which, as Doc Angel told me, is a rare case but could be hereditary.....and: the jaw will start to protrude if I don't do something about it (meaning: I will look like Ai-Ai delas Alas in 2 years' time)....

....and so I decided to have the good doctor do "corrective work" on my choppers on May 18, 2006.....at a cost of P35,000 (P10,000 downpayment and P2100 every month for 12 months).....she installed metal brackets, molar bands, ortho wire and ligature bands on my upper teeth.....and I was made to wear a removable "orthotic device" on my lower teeth to correct my jaw.....

....and the pain begins....

....I had great difficulty eating and speaking during the first week....and the metal brackets kept falling off, thereby requiring frequent visits to the clinic for rebonding.....and my tongue is impeded by the orthotic, giving me a sort of "lisping" sound, especially when I say words with the letter "S"....it was a hellish first week....

....but now, after 2 months as a metal-mouth, I'm actually getting the hang of it....any discomfort is barely noticeable....and Doc Angel changes the color of my ligature bands every 3 weeks, making it less boring to look at.....my color choices so far: white (first 3 weeks), blue (4th to 6th week) and green (currently)....I plan to have it changed to red next week to match our organization T-shirt which we will wear in our upcoming intramural games....

.....I still feel some discomfort, especially when I think of the cost of these aliens in my mouth, but thinking about nice, aligned teeth and a "normal" jaw more than makes up for it.....