exercise your choppers today

choppers
Originally uploaded by misslissa13

My teeth. Yes, my teeth.
When I was young,
they were crooked beyond belief.
Biting partially into the flesh of an apple
revealed the awkward "T" my two front teeth formed.
My canines resided too far north
And my bottom teeth were not much better.

Realignment, that pesky realignment.
I had to wear a retainer for a year before braces could even be affixed.
Then the braces, oh the braces!
A full metal jacket.
The top ones fell off the first couple of days,
so doc had to put the metal band style
that strangled my teeth all the way around.

That big metal gnarly grin was with me for four years,
then another round with the retainer.
Only on top, though.

Needless to say, my bottom teeth decided they liked being disjointed
and moved to places where they preferred the view.

And where's the wisdom in my teeth?
Well, the top ones grew out sideways
and irritated my cheeks to the point of needing removal.
Too bad the Novvcain only liked one of the two and made for a painful departure of the second.

The bottom two wisdom teeth are no wiser.
They are still here and stand in gassho to the molars in front of them, nudging them every so often.

Today, I have an overbite
and one of my bottom teeth has been pushed forward
like the kid getting volunteered to go first in gym class.
Will I realign them again one day? Perhaps.
but until then, it's MY smile
which it comes out when passing strangers on the street
or with each belly laugh provoked
or thinking of my loved ones.
And I'm happy with that.