Lessons From My Teeth

Braces at my age? Here are some life lessons I learned through this unexpected choice and challenge.

After what I thought was going to be a normal dental appointment, I was surprised when my dentist said he wanted to ask me a personal question. I was puzzled. What could it be?

Then he asked if we had ever discussed braces.

I assured him that I was fine with the way my teeth were. They were healthy, and I have lived with them for 45 years, so I was content.

He gently suggested that I consider his words and gave me the name of an orthodontist in my area.

Braces at my age?

I knew that my teeth were not perfect—but braces at my age?

Still I made the appointment with the orthodontist and took my youngest daughter, who was an experienced braces wearer, with me. After the X-ray and a careful examination, the orthodontist showed me what would happen to my teeth and my gums if I did not take this course of action.

Did I mention that I was 45 years old when I got braces?

My sometimes painful ordeal

I had brackets, wires, rubber bands, springs and hooks in my mouth for 18 months. My braces had one major breakdown and several minor ones throughout my sometimes painful ordeal.

My last appointment to remove them was an ordeal in itself. I had an earlier appointment that ran late, so I decided to take a different route to the orthodontist’s office that would allow me to make up time.

However, I was stopped by heavy construction on a two-lane road. While stopped in traffic, I phoned the office and was told by the receptionist, who I had grown to love, that if I didn’t get there in the next 10 minutes, I would have to reschedule.

I was in tears when I made it into the office five minutes after my deadline. After being comforted by the staff and reassured that I did not have to reschedule, my braces were removed and replaced with permanent retainers.

Lessons I’ve retained

The experience taught me three valuable lessons about how to live my life as a Christian:

1. There will be times when you have to make an unexpected decision, so seek the advice of knowledgeable people.

Proverbs 1:5 tells us, “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”

During these times of uncertainty, try to find someone who may have experienced a similar situation. Talking to my daughter about her personal experience and taking her with me gave me more insight and helped me understand what would be done to correct my teeth. She also helped me understand the instructions about the new way I would care for my teeth.

I was also fortunate to have another woman in my congregation who had recently had her braces removed, and she was there to sympathize and share her experience.

In our lives as Christians, there will be unexpected decisions: small, large or thought-provoking. When making major decisions, the wise advice of others can be the most valuable asset that we have. When we go to God to talk to Him about our situation, we can ask Him to send someone who can give us insight.

2. Be ready to experience temporary pain.

Psalm 30:5 tells us, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The devices that I had to wear were very uncomfortable and painful. Each appointment consisted of removing and replacing the wire to align the teeth. My teeth were being taught to shift into their proper position, which would occasionally cause the end of the wire to stick the back of my mouth like a needle. The office was very close to my home, and that allowed me to make a quick trip to have the end clipped.

The pain after the appointment didn’t last very long, and I could see improvement after each visit. My decision to take care of the problem with my teeth now has eliminated additional pain and difficulties in the future.

In our Christian experience, there have been and will be times in our lives when pain will come on suddenly and last longer than we would like. During these times, we must immediately and constantly go to God for comfort and strength to endure the pain. Relief is just around the corner.

3. Reflect on the end result and endure.

Psalm 125:1 tells us, “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

During one appointment my regular technician was working on another patient, so I was assigned to another technician who was not as experienced. I had a spring placed into my mouth, and the next morning it popped out for no apparent reason.

I phoned my manager to tell her that I would be late to work. I called the orthodontist’s office and explained what had happened. I walked into the office in tears, told the technician how miserable I was with braces and demanded she take them off.

She looked at me, smiled, gave me a hug and led me to the chair. While she correctly installed the spring, she encouraged me to think about the big picture. She encouraged me to keep in mind that my teeth would not only be corrected, but healthier, since the goal of the braces was to correct a problem that would occur later in life.

As Christians, we must reflect on the end result and not lose faith. We have a source that offers us hope and a vision of a healthier, happier and brighter future for all of humanity. If we stay focused, we will not lose heart and can attain the promise of eternal life once and for all.

Today my smile is nicer, and the retainers will allow my teeth to hold their place for the rest of my physical life.

I also know that God has promised that if I remain steadfast in my trials and endure, I will receive an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15), and I will dwell in God’s house forever (Psalm 23:6).

For more about living the Christian life with endurance, see “What Is Conversion?"

Chant’a Collier and her husband, Rodney, attend the Atlanta, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.