It used to be, when I first met someone, that I'd notice their hair, their eyes, maybe their shoes. Now? There's one thing, and one thing only. You bet I'm checking out that bite. And comparing. And wondering. And diagnosing.
Sometimes I want to ask them, "Do you get headaches? Has your dentist noticed that? Do you know what 'orthognathic' means?" But I hold back. Usually my clients want me to analyze their financial statements, not their occlusion.
What is this obsession?
In my analyses, I notice that most people don't have a perfect bite. I would guess a lot of people suffer from TMJD symptoms and don't even know it. It was several years before either I, or any dentist I saw, put the whole puzzle together. When I realize how many people have to go through life just dealing with it, I realize that I am incredibly lucky. I'm incredibly lucky to have a great ortho team who understands my problem. I'm incredibly lucky to have a good job so that I can afford to have this done. The family situation could be better, but...meh....overall I have it pretty good.
Then I see the beautiful people who already have the perfect bite, and do everything seemingly without effort. They can eat anything they want. Their confidence is palpable. Sometimes I hate me in that moment. But then I have to remember: this can be fixed; this CAN be better. What's three years of dental torture compared to a lifetime of healthy functioning?
And I have to remember too---those beautiful people, the ones who can already "bite a piece of lettuce out of their sandwich"...they have their ugly moments. That's life. A perfect bite will not solve the world's problems, but, boy, am I looking forward to that bite!
Ha ha, Ellie! I know what you mean because ever since I started on this jouney, I do the same. Before surgery, I would look at their smiles, their teeth, their bite. Now....i stare at everyone's jaw line. Sometimes I have to remember to stay focused!
ReplyDeletewow by far one of the most interesting and funny posts ever. your exactly right, i feel that way too.
ReplyDeletei used to find myself just look at peoples eyes or go i love her hair and what not now its like.....oh she has a really nice bite, him too..and what not. its also interesting before surgery it felt like no one around here had a bad bite, after surgery its like "bad bites" are not hard to miss..
kind of interesting really..but hey its worth it in the end
one day we will have those smiles thats just to die for, we will be able to eat normally =)