Going Public I know that braces are not easily hidden, nor are they easily ignored once they are discovered. I got the clear speed-set braces for both of those selling points: they were clear, and they were speedy. As I've said before, lots of people haven't even noticed the braces right at first. That's one of the ways I've stayed sane through this whole journey. It's hard to keep up that ambiguity when your orthodontist tags you in your "after application" picture on Facebook. As unbelievable as it is that some people three feet away from me don’t notice my metal mouth, it’s even harder to believe how many people thought my teeth were straight to begin with! I had a snaggle that my orthodontist was surprised hadn’t been broken off! My brother who hadn’t seen me yet even said my teeth were fine. This kind of situation does a couple of different things to people: first off, so many more people found out about this than I was expecting or even planning on. That means that I am no longer in control of who knows what. Secondly, with the amount of people now telling me I didn’t need them in the first place, my resolve to “stick it out” is dwindling. It took a ton of emotional coaxing to get me to the point where I felt like I could do this, and I now feel a little bit doubtful that I can. It’s only been three weeks. Not even that, two and a half. This month is just dragging and I’ve seven to nine more lined up right after it. That is a long time. As an actress, confidence is key. Granted, I got these things on in the first place because I lacked confidence in my smile, but right before I got them, I was doing really well! I was getting a lot of work and gaining a lot of steam in my career. And now I’ve got to grind to a halt for nine months. I’m still involved in acting—I’m in a play right now and I’ve got a touring show in January, plus I just completed a short film where they actually liked that I had braces for the character—but the ability to walk into a room and feel like “this part is mine” is gone. I feel more apologetic and submissive. Ugh. Not a great weekend for me. ON THE PLUS SIDE: my snaggle is so far back that I can’t tell which tooth it is when I feel it with my tongue. It’s so amazing to look beyond the braces and see what my teeth can be! I still can’t bite with my front teeth, but I can get through chicken enchiladas now, and that is definitely progress!