26. Braces day
The orthodontic department is located in a side wing of the university building. Tamara and some other students are waiting in front of the building. When I arrive, there is some construction going on outside the building. Workers with welding machines are repairing a part of the building. I cannot see what they are working on and I want to concentrate on Tamara anyway.

The study group is supervised by a Professor. And it took Tamara a while to convince the Professor that I could watch the exercise. Finally I was allowed to join them. The other students had to agree as well, but none of them seemed to care. As far as I can see, none of them is wearing braces. However, all of them had extremely straight teeth, I guess they had all had orthodontic treatment in the past.

"So how are you feeling on your big day?" I ask her. She replies, "I'm just curious to see how they feel on my teeth. But I don't think it's a big deal because I'll get them off in no time." Despite her confident answer, I can still sense that she is a little nervous. In fact, more than a little nervous, as I can see her hand shaking slightly.

The room we are in now is equipped with four treatment chairs and a lot of other chairs for onlookers. There are eight students in the room, plus me and the professor. The professor quickly introduces herself to me as Maria Frey. And then she looks at me, "May I ask you a question?" I reply, "Sure."

She continues, "Two of our students haven't practiced taking impressions on someone wearing braces. Could you do them a favor and let them practice taking impressions on you?" I look at Tamara and the look on her face tells me that the only answer is yes. So I quickly agree and Professor Frey leads me to one of the chairs.

I sit in the chair and Professor Frey tells Bob and Janine what to do. Apparently, these are the students who have no experience in taking impressions. She explains the process to them in detail and it is too much for me to follow. The only thing that sticks in my mind is when she tells them that I am the ideal candidate because the expanders will make it especially difficult to take the impressions.

So I lie here in the chair and Bob puts the impression tray in my mouth. He tells me to breathe through my nose to avoid the gag reflex. He is right, as long as I breathe through my nose, I can handle the tray. With the tray in my mouth, I fully understand why Lynn has switched to 3D scans for her patients.

Bob repeats the process with my other jaw and I think he does a really good job. However, the process is still uncomfortable and I am happy as the second tray leaves my mouth. The professor seems quite pleased with Bob's performance and tells me that I will receive a model of my teeth afterwards.

Then it is Janine's turn. I can feel that she is very nervous and Professor Frey gives her a lot of corrections. This second round of taking impressions is really stressful for me. It takes forever because Professor Frey keeps correcting Janine while taking the impressions. If Janine had been the first student, I wouldn't have allowed Bob to take the impressions.

Professor Frey then tells us what happens next. Four students will receive fixed braces on their upper and lower jaws from the other four students. I am happy to learn that Bob will be placing Tamara's braces. Janine will be one of the students receiving braces.

The professor then explains the rest of the exercise. The four students receive their braces. They will practice brushing their teeth and then the braces will be removed. Giving them time to practice brushing sounds like a good idea. After all, they will be instructing patients on brushing techniques and a little practice seems reasonable.

The four students take their seats in the chair. I am allowed to sit next to Tamara and watch the procedure. This is a fantastic opportunity to observe the procedure from a different position. So far I have only been on the side receiving the braces.

First, Professor Frey asks him to take a 3D scan of her teeth. I do not understand why the scan is needed, but the professor is about to explain. She tells him that he will have a scan or a dental model when he does this on a real patient, and so a scan will make this practice session more realistic.

The procedure for taking the scan is simple. I think Bob must have done this many times. At the end of the procedure, Bob asks Tamara, "Would you like me to send you the scan?" Tamara agrees and gives him her e-mail address. After sending the scan, Tamara is finally ready to get her braces.

Following Professor Frey's instructions, Bob applies a sealant to Tamara's teeth. The sealant will protect her teeth while she has braces. And of course, it will also protect them during the removal process.

Another liquid is put on her teeth. Bob tells me this is the glue for the brackets. After carefully applying the glue to the teeth, he uses a UV light to activate the glue. As far as I can tell, he is doing really well and Professor Frey has no corrections for him. I can tell that the other students are having more trouble.

Bob shows me the tray of Tamara's brackets. I can see that these are standard brackets and she will be able to wear colored elastics with them. Then he asks me to hold the tray while he places them on her teeth.

He carefully places the brackets on her teeth, making sure they are in the correct position. When he is satisfied, the professor takes a quick look at the positioning and says, "You did a good job placing the brackets and her almost perfect teeth. You can now bond them and attach the archwire."

Bob does as he is told. For the second time he uses the UV light and this time the light bonds the brackets to her teeth. Tamara has been very calm throughout the procedure, but I can tell she is nervous. She breathes slowly through her nose to calm herself down.

Bob tells me that he is going to use a thick finishing wire on her braces. These wires are usually used at the end of a treatment, but given her near-perfect alignment, they would be a good fit for her braces. He then begins to cut the archwire for her upper braces and after a few minor adjustments is happy with the fit.

He then uses pink elastics to attach the wire to her brackets. He hadn't asked her for a color choice, but given the short time she'll be wearing her braces, that's fine. He then repeats the same process for her lower jaw. I like the way the braces look on her. I think the pink elastics look really good on her.

Professor Frey then makes a final check of her braces. Then she says, "Well done, Bob. And Tamara, please come back in two hours to have them removed. I believe this is your first time with fixed braces. I suggest you practice brushing your teeth and eat something. This can be a valuable experience when you are dealing with real patients."

As far as I can tell, the other students are way behind Bob and it will take them a while to catch up. Tamara goes to the sink and takes a good look at her braces. She says nothing. As far as I can tell, she looks excited and nervous at the same time. I hope she gets the most out of this experience because I agree with the professor that it will help her with future patients.

Tamara looks at me and says, "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. I want to try eating with them." She then leaves the treatment room and I follow her to the cafeteria. I quickly check to make sure I have my travel toothbrush and hope Tamara has hers.

Is it possible that she may wish to wear her braces for her week of vacation? 

Or will the building be closed on her return due to construction problems?

Anyhow the story is very well written.

I can´t wait for the next chapter!

Thank you guys. So we have many options:
- Tamara wants to keep them longer
- Tim talks her into longer wear time
- Construction work blocks braces removal
- Professor wants her to keep them
- Braces are removed
- An unknown option

Let's see what happens.

- An unknown option

I feel sure the workers welding something or other might be relevant!  Great story.

Very nice!

28. Fire
Everything is chaotic out there. People are running out of all the buildings on the university campus. Soon a huge crowd has formed outside. And we all look in the direction of the orthodontic department. It is the only part of the building where no one is running out. Instead, we can see flames coming from the entrance hall.

Neither Tamara nor I have seen the other students and the professor from the study group. We are both worried about what has happened to them since we cannot see them outside. I hold Tamara's hand as tears stream from her eyes.

Now the firemen arrive. Soon there are eight fire trucks around the university campus. I decide to find the officer in charge. I have to tell him that the people from our study group are missing and that they need to start looking for them in the treatment room.

The officer in charge takes my hint very seriously and asks me to tell his men exactly where the treatment room is. They will start looking for them first. With Tamara's help, I tell them exactly how to get to the room. After they are prepared, a group of ten firemen enters the building to search for the students and the professor.

Standing in front of the building waiting for the firemen is a painful experience. We stand there and it seems to take forever. Meanwhile, other firefighters have started to put out the fire from outside the building. Emergency vehicles arrive, the police and the press.

Finally we can see the first firemen coming out of the building. They are accompanied by Professor Frey, who is wearing a breathing mask. Soon more firemen follow with the other students from Tamara's group. Bob does not look well, two firefighters have to help him as he walks out of the building.

The medics take over the students and the professor. Tamara and I rush over to them, wanting to make sure they are okay. We are stopped by one of the medics. But he also tells us that they are all okay. They had inhaled too much smoke, but they would be fine after a quick check at the hospital.

Tamara then hugs me, "You did a good job telling the firefighters where to look first. I think you saved their lives. Thank you so much." The officer in charge has joined us, "Your friend is right. Your advice was really valuable. I think all the people are out of the building. Of course, we will check every room, but knowing where to look first helped a lot.”

We try to talk to our group before the medics take them to the hospital. They are all lying on stretchers and getting oxygen through a mask. When we arrive, Professor Frey takes off her mask and says, "Tamara, come back on Monday and we will take off your braces.” Tamara cuts her off, "Professor, that is not important right now. Please get well first and then we can talk about my braces."

Tamara has started to cry again and tears are running from my eyes as well. We are both in a very confused state. So happy that our group survived, but so scared about what happened to them. We decide to leave the campus before the press starts asking questions. They were already interrogating the officer in charge, who had been so grateful to us.

I came to the campus by car, while Tamara took public transportation. We decide to take my car and go to my apartment. During the drive, neither of us says a word. I am happy about this because I need all my concentration to focus on the road. Driving home had never been such a challenge for me. Thoughts are running through my head, making it hard for me to follow the traffic.

We are sitting on my couch watching the news. The fire at the university is the top story on the local TV stations. It seems like reporters from all over the country have arrived on campus. We are both so happy that we left the scene before we had to answer any questions from the press.

Of course, there is speculation as to the cause of the fire. The main focus is on the welding work that was going on near the orthodontic department. Given that this is where the fire started and that welding is known to cause fires, this seems like a good guess. Both Tamara and I had walked past the welders, but we didn't think there was any danger.

Tamara is very quiet the whole evening. We just sit on my couch and watch the news. She has her arm around me and I am holding her other hand. We end up sleeping on the couch in that position. We sleep in this rather uncomfortable position for a long time. I wake up the next morning, when I have to pee.

30. Italy
The drive to our destination, Lake Garda, is uneventful. Leaving very early on Monday morning, we avoided all the major traffic jams. The weather in Italy is also promising. It will be sunny with almost no clouds, but still not too hot. I haven't been to Italy for a while and I'm really looking forward to our vacation. What makes it even better is that I will be accompanied by the most beautiful girl on the planet.

We rented a house near the beach, which wasn't unreasonably expensive, and I'm paying most of the costs since I have a job and Tamara is still studying. The landlord looked a little confused when she saw two adults with braces, but of course she didn't mention them.

Right after unpacking we decide to go to the beach. We share the beach with some other vacation homes, but the beach is almost completely empty. We spend the first hour sitting in one of the beach chairs and just watching the beautiful scenery. In front of us is the lake and in the background we can see the mountains of the Dolomites. We say nothing, just enjoy the moment.

Then Tamara asks, "Do you want to go swimming?" I've spent most of my weekends in saunas, but I haven't been swimming for a while. "Sure, let's see who's first," I say, and run to the water, Tamara following me. With my head start, I win this competition by a wide margin.

The water has a good temperature and we both enjoy swimming for a while. I can tell that Tamara is a much better swimmer than I am. She tells me that she used to swim at a competitive level, but stopped when she started studying. No wonder she is so much better than me.

When we finally come out of the water, we are no longer alone on the beach. A couple about our age has joined us and is sitting on two chairs next to us. When we come back from the lake, they greet us friendly and then go on talking to each other.

After a while they turned their heads to us and the boy asked us, "There's a soccer field at the beach. Would you like to play with us?" I look at Tamara and she replies, "Sure, I would love to play a game with you. And by the way, I am Tamara and this is Tim.” The two then introduce themselves as Lisa and Georgio, and from their accents, they are clearly Italian.

We follow them to the soccer field, happy to have met someone our age. When we start to play, we immediately realize that they are much better at soccer than we are. It doesn't matter if we lose, we just enjoy playing with them. We stay at the soccer field for about two hours and then we are tired.

Georgio and Lisa invite us to a bar near the beach. We drink some coke and water and have a nice chat. We talk about a lot of things. For some reason they do not mention our braces. I don't know, maybe adult braces are more common in Italy or Italians don't talk about braces.

Tamara and I excuse ourselves after the second drink, but we agree to meet again the next day. On the way back to our vacation home we grab a slice of pizza to go and eat it. The pizza is good and we are hungry after our day at the beach. It is not a long walk home and so we get there quickly.

As I close the door, Tamara asks me, "Do you want to take a shower? I feel pretty sweaty now." I reply, "Sure, I would love to take a shower.” She then goes into the bathroom and I follow her. Our bathroom has a nice, large shower. The bathroom in general is modern and spacious.

She gets undressed and gets into the shower. She then asks, "Would you like to join me?" Of course I want to, "Yes. I would love to join you." So I quickly undress and I accompany her into the shower. There she is, my beautiful girlfriend, standing next to me in the shower.

She hands me some shower gel and I am allowed to soak her. While I soak her, my hands are allowed to touch her fantastic body. I run my hands through her beautiful red hair and it is so nice to touch it. Her arms are amazing to caress like the rest of her body. It takes me a while to caress her wonderful body and I take all the time I can get. She obviously enjoys it too and her body responds to my stroking.

Then it is her turn and she begins to soak me. She does an amazing job with her hands. When her hand touches my skin, an electric shock goes through my body. I feel like I am in heaven. Her hands touch every part of my body and being a man my body reacts to every touch. She does an amazing job and I wish this moment would last forever.

A long and passionate kiss follows, initiated by her. Our bodies are so close together as we kiss. And her tongue plays with everything in my mouth, including my rubber bands. Then she does a stunt. Using only her tongue, she removes one of my rubber bands and then puts it on her braces with her finger. Soon my other rubber band follows.

I do not know what to say and she just smiles at me and shows me her braces with the rubber bands. Since I have never kissed a girl with rubber bands before, I immediately start kissing her. Now my tongue is allowed to play with the bands and it is a nice little game. Suggesting braces to her turns out to be a really good idea, even though they are only temporary.

Finally she turns on the water in the shower to remove the shower gel from our skin. This also involves a lot of touching of our bodies and takes a while. Then she whispers in my ear, "Are you ready?" I know what she means and she doesn't wait for my answer.

Out of nowhere she pulls out a condom. I let her put it on the right part of my body. At first we just kiss again, but slowly we get more into it. She told me the truth, and I discovered that she was still a virgin. I am proud that she chose me as her first partner. This being her first time, I can tell she is a little insecure, but she is a quick learner. I give her all the time she needs and I enjoy going really slow.

Everything comes to an end and we are standing in front of the sink, ready to brush our teeth. She is still wearing my rubber bands and quickly removes them before brushing. Then she asks, "May I brush your teeth? I would love to." This is going to be very interesting, so I reply, "Yes, you can.”

This is a funny moment. She runs the toothbrush over the surface of my teeth. As she has taught many patients, she makes sure to clean all sides of the brackets and behind the wire. Then she moves on to the expanders and gives them a thorough cleaning. As a final step, she uses a proxy floss to clean between my teeth.

Finally, she attaches new rubber bands to my braces. She does this very slowly and I can tell she is enjoying herself. I do not have a complicated rubber band configuration, but it takes her just as long as if I had the most complicated one.

Then she hands me her toothbrush and says, "Now it is your turn.” The moment I enter her mouth with the toothbrush for the first time, I am very nervous. I have never brushed anyone else's teeth before. Being an only child, I have never had the opportunity to brush the teeth of a younger sibling.

Soon I get more confident. Her braces are much easier to clean than mine because she does not have two giant expanders in her mouth. But I take all the time I can get and do it extra slow, like she did before.

I decide that she needs to wear rubber bands as well. When I present them to her, she makes no protest. Instead, she waits eagerly as I place them in her mouth, copying my rubber band configuration. I have plain white bands and they contrast nicely with her pink braces. I wonder how a different color would look on her.

She looks in the mirror and smiles at what she sees. We decide to spend the rest of the time on the couch watching TV. Of course there would be some cuddling as well.