I Weirdly Worry about my Teeth – A Lot

Photo via news-medical.net/wisdomteeth

I got braces last January and was so super excited about the journey of re-straightening my teeth. I had braces once before in high school but, due to a small freak accident, I had them knocked out my mouth and never got to truly finish the process. (Per the illustration I has my central and lateral incisors knocked out. The story is harrowing. lol)

Since that incident I had also lost my retainer and the little gap that I originally got my braces to fix had come back. I hated how I looked so I figured that, since I had great insurance at my job, I could get them fixed again.

I was excited to begin my journey and everything was going smoothly until March when the world closed down due to Coronavirus. In the time between the initial shutdown and July/August, when I could finally get back to the dentist, I had four different aligner trays sent to my house in what I thought was an epically perfect plan to continue my care. However, here I am a year later and I am worried.

It is no secret that I am a perfectionist and a worrier. Ever since my accident I have had extra worries in my head about my teeth- their care and the way that they look. So, it should come as no surprise that I am worried about the state of my teeth now.

On the outside, to the untrained eye, they look great. Nothing needs to be done but possibly just a fresh coloring. However, as someone that has had a lot of time to ponder my teeth since my sophomore year of high school, the way that my teeth feel in my mouth is unbearable. I literally think about it nonstop. I feel like the left side of my mouth is not as spaced out or curved as the right side and it feels weird when I close my teeth together. Even writing it out kind of sends me into a tailspin. If you think of your teeth as a clock with the two front as 12 and your throat as 6, the teeth in the 1-3 section feel a little more empty and spaced out than all the other teeth in my mouth and it makes me nervous.

I know I probably shouldn’t feel like this because to some it’s just teeth and whatever but I don’t want to walk away from the one chance I have to fix this and regret it for the rest of my life. Like yes, I know I could get new braces but $4000 or more would be excessive just to fix that one spot and what if it opens up new problems?

What do you all think? When you are sitting just living life are your teeth closed together like the skull head in 7th grade biology class? Does the way your teeth fit in your mouth ever concern you? – meaning do you think about it throughout your day? How can I get over this? I’m worried.