Braces

I got braces sometime last April. It was definitetly a new look for me, and for those of you who knew me before braces, a pleasant change. It seemed like everytime I went to the orthodontist, she would add something new. As far as I could see from my upside down position in the chair, every time she found a new little spring or wire, she would find a creative new way of attaching it to my mouth. Of course before applying it to my face, she would consult all the other orthodontists in the building. About five of them would lean over me. Some would stick fingers in my mouth, others suggest which teeth should be pulled and I think the rest were just hanging around for the fun of it. Actually my orthodontist is very nice. She has short black hair and four beautiful blue eyes. At least that's what it looks like from where I lay. I start going cross-eyed after a while.
I believe she enjoys all this commotion, so you can imagine her delight when it came time for the bottom set of braces. As of yesterday, I have two sets of braces inside my mouth. I can't talk very well. I can't eat much. There isn't even much room in my mouth for the food that I can eat. And when I manage to squeeze a morsel between the metal bars, it usually tucks itself safely into the space between a wire and the roof of my mouth and chooses to appear again when I talk to someone.
But, as much as I have fun complaining about braces, it really is a huge blessing that I have them. I had really bad teeth, and a dentist had told my parents early on that I would require serious orthodontia. Since then, my teeth have been blessed time after time in amazing ways. When my previous orthodontist told us she didn't have the expertise to fix my teeth, we were shocked when she returned all the money we had already paid for her work. What is even more amazing is our moving to the Czech Republic at the exact time when I needed to start check ups. What I mean by that is; in America the care for my teeth would have been extremely expensive, but in Europe health care is so much more affordable.
So even if you hear me complain, I'm really grateful for my little metal pals (my braces...haha) and for the way God has provided for us in every way. Right down to my teeth!!!