Take as much time as you need. Writing is not about how fast you can put out chapters, it is about taking the time to write good-quality stories you are happy to post.

Chapter 21 – The next weeks

During the next week both of them followed their normal life. Lynn worked hard in her office and she acquired more patients. Peter was sitting in his home office and sometimes dreaming about having rubber bands. But he always backed of when he imagined wearing them in public. And he turned the screws on his braces as instructed always feeling the tension it caused.

The newly acquired patients had increased Lynn’s workload dramatically. So Peter often went to her office to help her out. He gathered more experience over the next weeks. And he become sort of Lynn’s second assistant. He showed patients how to brush their teeth, how to hook rubber bands or put in their headgear.

Brushing teeth was an easy one as he had watched Lynn brushing her teeth very often. Same with the rubber bands, he had done it several times on Lynn’s braces. So he could show the patients how to hook them either with their fingers or with a special tool. Of course he liked the part about the rubber bands. And when needed he practiced the different rubber band patterns on Lynn’s braces.

Learning how to insert headgear took a little bit longer. Lynn had some teeth models with braces and the tubes required for headgear. She showed him how the facebow had to be put into to the tubes on the patients molar band. Training on a real patient also turned out to be an easy task as Lynn revealed that she had standard molar bands including the required tubes. Both of them had fun while trying different types of headgears. They practiced with cervical, high pull and even combination types. Especially the high pull looked gorgeous on Lynn.

Peter had his next checkup appointment for his braces. The appointment went straight forward. Lynn checked the fit of his braces and did some adjustments. She told him to continue turning the screws once a week. And she told him again how much better his treatment would be with fixed braces.

Sitting together at the dinner after his appointment Peter asked, “Do you really think I need fixed braces or are you trying to tease me?” “No, I am not teasing you. You will get a good treatment result with your current treatment. It is just that you could get a better result with fixed braces,” Lynn replied. Peter did not say anything for two minutes, simply looking at his plate. He then said “I am not saying that I want to, but how about this finishing treatment phase Steve had suggested?”

“Well, we would keep your appliances for the next 10 months. Then we would switch to fixed braces for at least 3 months. And then some hawley retainers. Fixed braces would be for your upper and lower jaw. And of course rubber bands for the finishing touch,” Lynn replied. “Understood, what about those expanders Steve had talked about?” Peter said while dreaming about rubber bands. Lynn replied, “I don’t think you will need expanders. We are expanding your jaw with your current appliances. What you might need is a device that would prevent your molars from rotating. This device is called a Trans-Palatal Arch.”

Peter said, “OK, I will think about that. But why do you think fixed braces would do a better job? Your treatment isn’t going that well with them.” Lynn was surprised that he agreed to think about fixed braces and not so happy that he had mentioned her treatment, “You are sort of right. My treatment is really going very slow. Much slower than I have expected. I have to admit, that I am constantly thinking about some other treatment options.” Peter said, “So how does it feel being an orthodontist with braces?” She replied, “At first I was afraid about that, but braces are so common in orthodontist offices. I do not think that anyone cares about them. But what really scared me is the speed of my treatment. I do not want to have braces and rubber bands forever.” Peter initiated a kiss and explored the parts of her braces he so much adored and then said, “I like your braces and bands. About what other treatment options are you thinking?”.

“To be honest, there are not many available options. Some people tried the speedup by applying vibration to the teeth or using lasers on the gums. But no study could show a significant improvement. I had the idea to use headgear. My hope was that by moving my molars back this would give my other teeth some space to start moving. But I do no think this will work,” Lynn said. “That does not sound promising. Any other options?” Peter asked. “My favorite is using removable braces as an addition to the fixed ones. The appliances would by similar to yours, but with no labial bow. Those braces may add some pressure to my teeth and cause the speedup. I have to talk to Steve about this,” she said. “Maybe, you are just too impatient.”, Peter said.

The discussion went on for a while. Later they began to kiss. And the day ended in the bedroom. Lynn may have crooked teeth, but other parts of her body are fully functional.

Chapter 23 – Final preparations

The anticipation of the upcoming trip to Mallorca continued to grow. They had agreed to have a braces tightening before the trip. Lynn had decided to attend her appointment during normal office hours. She hoped that this would help Steve to behave. Lynn received a new archwire from Steve, who informed her that her teeth had finally begun to move. On the not so happy side, she was fitted with more rubber bands, now wearing two on each side in a triangle configuration.

Peter’s adjustment was arranged two days prior to their trip. Peter was the last patient on that day. Ann and Zara had already left the office. Lynn was inspecting Peter’s teeth and adjusting his braces like usual. She again remarked him about the excellent compliance, but this time forgot to mention fixed braces.

They were interrupted by the door bell. Lynn noticed it was her sales representative Charles. The guy that had sold her the 3D scanner and supplied her with most of her orthodontic supplies. She decided to let him in.

Lynn took Charles and his huge trolley case to the treatment room. She introduced him to her partner Peter. Charles very enthusiastically started to talk about new products of his company. He offered her some discounts on her supplies. And at the end he said, “Lynn, I have to show you something. This is an exciting new product of our company and you can be our premiere customer. You know indirect bonding technique? Well of course you do. We have improved this even further. Our new product perfectly integrates with our 3D scanner. A software will help you to 3D print the tray for the indirect bonding. And the bonding tray already includes slots for the brackets at the correct position.”

Lynn said, “That sounds interesting. Do you have something to show to me?”. Charles then took a bonding tray with brackets out of this trolley. Then he said, “I can give you a live demo. You will be impressed by the speed of our product. And most of the work can be done by your assistant. Saving you valuable time and money.”

Charles then placed more stuff on Lynn’s table. A laptop, a 3D printer, a scanner and a tray of metal brackets. He showed Lynn the software program they had developed and then said, “We will need a patient for this demo. Peter may I scan your teeth?” Peter thought, “Oh, not again,” but agreed on the scan.

Charles quickly performed the scan on Peter’s teeth. Slowly a picture of Peter’s teeth appeared on the screen. The software had already placed brackets on all of Peter’s teeth, except for the wisdom teeth. Charles explained, “Look, the software has already calculated the ideal position for brackets. You can adjust the position if needed.” Lynn moved two brackets a tiny bit, but was satisfied with the suggestion by the software. This was indeed a very good software and easy to use.

Charles pressed the print button. In almost no time the 3D printer had prepared the indirect bonding trays for Peter’s upper and lower jaw. He said, “Lynn, see those slots on the tray. They are at the position we have selected for the brackets.” He then showed her how to place the brackets on the bonding tray. The tray for the lower jaw was prepared by Lynn. Peter and Lynn were impressed by this demo. Lynn could imagine how this product could help her business.

After the demo Charles said, “Just give me a call if you are interested in buying this. As a premiere customer you will get a discount. And you can keep the trays and the models to show it to your staff.” Then Charles left the office leaving Peter and Lynn alone.

Lynn turned to Peter and said, “Oh, Peter what a fantastic opportunity for you. You can try fixed braces for free and given our trip to Mallorca no one will see you wearing them.” Peter turned pale white and didn’t say a word. Lynn told him that she could start now and promised to remove them in two weeks. And she added that he could wear rubber bands too. Peter was still breathing heavily but also looking on the trays with the brackets. Lynn tried to calm him down by massaging his shoulders.

Finally the heavy breathing stopped and Peter said, “OK, now or never. But you have to promise to remove them in two weeks.” Lynn said, “I promise. You should brush your teeth and floss. This will be a lot harder for the next weeks.”

Peter walked to the sink and brushed his teeth. After that he gave them an intense flossing. Meanwhile Lynn prepared the tools for the braces installation. Peter was slightly shaking, but managed to climb on the treatment chair.

Lynn inserted a lip-spreader into his mouth. Then she started by applying an etching agent to Peter’s teeth. She rinsed the agent off by using a tool similar to a water toothbrush. The next step was to apply the bonding agent on the teeth. Then she placed the tray on Peter’s jaw starting with the lower jaw. She then used an UV Light to secure the brackets.
Peter had always wondered if getting braces was painful. So far he wasn’t feeling any pain. The procedure was quite comfortable. The lip-spreader caused some minor discomfort, mostly because Peter wasn’t used having his mouth open for such a long time.

“You can have colors with these brackets. Which color do you want? If you want a discrete color I would suggest gray, but I would love to use dark blue,” Lynn said. Peter still overwhelmed by this situation replied, “Go with dark blue.” Soon after that Peter was wearing metal braces with an archwire secured by dark blue elastics. “That is enough for today. I will give you your rubber bands tomorrow,” Lynn added.

Various contradictory thoughts went through Peter head. He had gotten fixed braces which he never had wanted. He thought about how humiliated he would feel wearing braces as an adult. But he could get rubber bands and play with them. What a lovely prospect it was. And it was only for two weeks and no one he knew would see him wearing these. He started to run his tongue on his newly installed braces. Feeling the brackets and the archwire was a strange feeling. He could also feel the hooks for the rubber bands.

Lynn gave him a hand mirror so he could see his braces and said, "They look really good on you. You will love them." Peter looked in the mirror. At first he kept his mouth closed while he looked into the mirror. The braces gave him slightly larger lips. Then he slowly opened his mouth and saw the braces for the first time. They looked like normal braces, and Peter thought he could live with them for the next two weeks. And he was a little worried about having them as an adult.

Lynn saw this worried look on his face and she tried to change the topic, “Have you seen my new rubber bands yet? I now have to wear four of them. Do you want to have a look?” They exchanged places. Lynn was lying in the chair and Peter was exploring those new rubber bands. First he stared at them from different angles. Then he started to touch them with his fingers. This caused a tingling sensation building up into his body. He commenced by kissing her softly. The intensity of their kisses increased and he joined her on the chair. Soon there were cloths lying all over the floor and the treatment chair was used for something it was never intended for.

Both had to prepare stuff for their trip to Mallorca. So Peter went home to his house and it was decided to meet on the next evening. On his way home Peter kept his mouth closed and tried to avoid any person.

At home, he packed everything for the trip. He had to add various items to his luggage: cycling clothes, swimming suits, hiking shoes, and cloths for two weeks. And then he thought about tooth cleaning. He decided to ask Lynn for some special tools. He would need a softer toothbrush and something for flossing around his braces. Life had suddenly become more complicated.

Then he noticed that he had to eat something. He hadn't prepared any soft food, so he had to eat what was there. He decided to take some bread and cut it into little pieces. It took him a lot of time to eat his small meal, always trying not to hit the brackets. Eating wasn't painful at all; only the amount of time it took felt annoying.

He soon realized that he had caused a massive mess onto his braces. Food was hanging all over his brackets and archwire. Cleaning was inevitable. He went to the bathroom and cleaned his teeth. However, his flossing tools turned out to be rather impractical for his braces. He really had to ask Lynn for a proper tool.

Peter took a close look at his braces in the mirror. He had medium sized metal brackets on all his teeth. There was a wire running through all the brackets and the wire was secured by dark blue elastics. And he could noticed that the wire was not running straight through his brackets. The wire was slightly twisting and turning. He had never realized that his teeth were that crooked.

Soon after that, he could feel the tension from his braces rising. He elected to go to bed early. Hopefully, he would fall asleep before the real pain would kick in.

Lynn finally got Peter in brackets. He'll learn that they are not so bad after all.

Chapter 24 – Rubber bands

Lynn woke up feeling massive pain from her teeth. Her hole jaw was sore. She never had felt so much pain coming from her braces. She concluded that the new stronger wire and the rubber bands were doing their job. She wouldn’t be able to have breakfast this morning. Instead she voted to drink some milk from fridge. This also was bad idea as the cold milk caused even more pain on her already sore jaw. Brushing her teeth was very painful too, she almost could not touch her brackets with the toothbrush. Actually she should be happy as her teeth had finally started to move, but she wasn’t happy at all. She wondered how Peter might feel.

Lynn was also proud of her accomplishments. She had gotten Peter into fixed braces. A goal she had wanted to accomplish. And finally it had happened. It just felt so good to have finally achieved that goal. And he would look so good with his braces and even better when the treatment was over. Of course, the next goal was to extend that two-week period.

To Peter's astonishment, he found that he was able to sleep through the night. As he awoke, he initially believed that his dreams of receiving braces had been nothing more than figments of his imagination. However, upon running his tongue over his teeth, he discovered that they were indeed real metal braces. As Peter fully woke up, he could also feel the intense pain emanating from his teeth. The removable braces he had been wearing never seemed to cause him as much discomfort as his new braces. He couldn't help but think about Lynn and how she had convinced him to get braces in the first place. He wondered if she had used a particularly strong wire that was causing his pain. Little did Peter know, Lynn was also experiencing the same level of discomfort at that very moment, as her own braces were proving to be just as uncomfortable as his.

Unlike Lynn, Peter was able to eat some breakfast albeit at a very slow pace due to the discomfort caused by his braces. Brushing his teeth was another challenge as he had to be careful not to touch his brackets too hard. After looking at himself in the mirror, Peter couldn't help but feel embarrassed and ashamed of wearing braces. He saw a grown up man with braces, no-one would take him seriously. All this happened because he wanted to wear rubber bands, which he was scared of wearing in public. Peter felt like an idiot for making such a decision and wished he had his removable braces back or even better, no braces at all.

Then Peter received a text message from Lynn, "Hope you're doing well with your new braces! Mine are killing me right now. Damn rubber bands, damn thicker wire!" Reading this made him laugh because he realized that he was not the only one experiencing problems. And after all, it was Lynn who had convinced him to get braces in the first place. Peter texted back, "Managed to eat something and brush my teeth, but they feel very strange." He didn't know why he hadn't told her about the pain. Maybe because he wanted to appear as a strong man or maybe he wanted Lynn to be the only one in pain from her perspective. She replied, "Great! See you at five in my office. I'm really looking forward to our trip!" Peter simply gave her a thumb up emoji.

Peter then began his work, which included finishing a lot of routine tasks and two Skype calls. He wondered if his clients could hear his lisp as he hadn't checked how he sounded with his braces. Would they be able to tell that he was wearing them? And of course, he didn't turn on his webcam so that they wouldn't see him wearing braces. These braces were just an experiment for two weeks. He wouldn’t be able to explain why he got them for such a short time.

Peter knew he wasn't the only adult wearing them. In fact, he had seen many in Lynn's office. However, that only helped him a little, because he was still the one who wore them and had to deal with all the discomfort that came with them.

Lynn had a more or less routine day, but the pain from her braces was still quite intense. She took a painkiller to help alleviate some of the discomfort and it did make a difference. Normally, she was against using pills, but this time it was necessary. The longer she wore her braces the more she could feel for her patients. She hadn’t thought much about what her patients were experiencing during treatment. They needed treatment and she provided it. She began to realize that this was an arrogant point of view. Maybe her own treatment would make her a better more understanding doctor.

Lynn also thought about Peter. Yesterday she had tricked him into fixed braces. She knew it was a very aggressive move on her part and hoped he wasn't angry at her for it.
And then Lynn remembered how cute Peter looked with those braces on. He was a natural braces wearer, they really suited him well. The blue elastics that he wore only added to his look. Her self-ligating brackets didn't require elastics, but she might consider adding some in the future. She couldn't wait to see Peter again and enjoy his braced smile. The next two weeks would be amazing.

When Peter arrived at the office Ann was still there, but Zara had already left. First she greeted him in the usual way. But then Ann took a closer look, “Peter, let me see them. When did you get them and why?” Peter showed her his smile, while working on a cover story. He told her about Charles and his new product and that Charles had needed a test person. And then Lynn had wanted to test the indirect bonding method. And of course they were just a temporary experiment. Ann hugged him and said, “You should keep them. They look so good on you.” Peter hugged her back and said, “You know my feelings about fixed braces. This really is just an experiment and Lynn will take them off soon.” “Just think about it,” Ann said while preparing to reach her bus home. Peter liked Ann, but he was glad she had left. He hadn’t thought about meeting her at the office. This turned out to be bad planing on his side as now someone he knew had seen him with fixed braces.

And then he saw Lynn coming from the treatment room. She almost ran into his direction and started kissing him. Their kiss was really intense. Both used their tongue to explore each others mouth. Lynn was completely on fire. His brackets felt so gorgeous and she ran her tongue over each of them. An almost electric sensation was going through her body. Peter especially liked her new rubber bands. Now that she had to wear four of them it was an even better experience.

They stopped kissing and Lynn looked at him, “Peter, are you ready for your rubber bands? Then take a seat.” Peter walked into the treatment room and grabbed a chair. Lynn followed him, “Let me check first if everything is right.” She let him open and close his mouth several times. Then she looked at his X-rays and 3D-scans on her computer. “Your second molar has a tendency to rotate. Normally I would use an appliance called a Transpalatal arch to stop the rotation,” Lynn told him with a concerned look on her face.

She continued, “The Transpalatal arch or TPA for short is simple wire that goes around the gum from bands on the upper molars. It can used to prevent unwanted teeth movement or even expand the jaw a bit. I really like that appliance. In your case we can deal with the rotation, when you are back to your removable braces.” Peter then surprised her, “This is supposed to be a simulation run for me having braces. And if you think it is needed, I think I should get it.” Peter did not know why he was saying that, but it seamed to be a logical step to do.

Lynn was speechless for a moment, sometimes she couldn’t understand Peter, “Peter, are you sure?” “Just do it, let me get the most out of this experiment,” he said. Lynn did some quick thinking. In the end Peter was right. A real patient would get that appliance and she should treat him like a real patient. And she wanted to convince him to wear his fixed braces for longer anyway.

“OK, this appliance requires sheats on the inner side of your molars. This sheats are used to attach the TPA. You do not have these sheats yet. We have two options for you to have these sheats. One is to use a bondable lingual sheet and the other is to use regular molar bands. You do not yet have these bands, but I strongly recommend them. The other option has a tendency to become loose. Do you still want me to continue?” Peter took a deep breath and said, “Lets go with the molar bands. I have always wondered how they would feel like.”

“Normal patients get spacers between their molars to create space for the bands and then have a banding appointment a week later. I think we can do it today. I will give you the spacers for an hour or two and then we will continue with your bands.” She quickly inserted four spacers between his upper molars. Peter could immediately feel them. It was a funny feeling like food stuck between his teeth.

Lynn suggested to eat something, as Peter’s teeth might be sore after receiving the bands. After the meal they brushed their teeth together and Lynn showed him some tricks to keep his braces clean. She also gave him a better tool for flossing around the braces. Then they went downstairs for Peter’s second appointment today.

Lynn started by removing the wire from his upper braces. She then removed two brackets from Peter’s second molars. She cleaned the teeth surface from any remaining glue. Then she removed the spacers and said, “This should be enough space for the bands. Let me check for the correct band size.” She placed the bands on his molars. Peter had to help her by biting on a stick. She looked at them and said, “This is the correct size. Now I will cement them in.” For this she had to remove the bands again, add some glue to them and glue them to his teeth using an UV light.

"And here comes the TPA," she said, showing him the device that would soon be in his mouth. She placed it in his mouth, removed it, and made a few adjustments. After a few iterations, she placed it in his mouth and secured it to the small sheaths on the inside of his molar bands. Peter ran his tongue around his gums and immediately felt the new device. It was obvious that food would stick to this appliance.

Lynn told him, "I've activated your TPA a little bit. It will expand your jaw, but more importantly it will prevent your molars from rotating. I really like TPA's, they are so small but so powerful.

Before he got his rubber bands Lynn reinserted the wire to his upper braces, “Finally you can get your rubber bands. You will have to apply them in a Class 2 configuration. From the upper canine to the lower first molar.” She gave him two rubber bands and a mirror, so that Peter could add them on his own. Peter struggled a bit on the first attempt. It turned out to be a little bit different when applying them on his own instead of someone else braces. Peter looked in the mirror, he was happy that he could now wear rubber bands and also worried how he would cope with the braces for the next two weeks. So far he had not worn his braces in public, but now it was unavoidable.

They went upstairs to Lynn's apartment and sat on the couch watching TV. Lynn handed Peter a beer and asked, "How are you feeling with your new braces?" Peter replied, "It was a lot more than I expected, but I felt no pain when they put them in. Lynn gave him a quick kiss, "I'm glad to hear you say that. I hope you give your braces a fair chance. They look so good on you." Peter said as he played with his rubber bands, "I promise I will. But first let me get through these two weeks."

Chapter 26 – Beach days

Peter and Lynn woke up early, eager to make the most of their vacation on the beautiful island of Mallorca. They decided to spend the day at the beach, so they packed their bags with sunscreen, towels, and a volley ball before heading out. The hotel had a direct access to the beach so it was only a short walk for them. Soon they good view on the coastline with crystal-clear blue water. In the background they spotted the mountains of the Tramuntana national park. They had already planed to visit the mountains either by car or with rented bicycles. And they would definitely see the park on their 5 day hiking trip.

Arriving at the beach, they found a perfect spot under a shady palm tree. They spread their towels on the warm sand and settled in for a day of relaxation. The sun shone brightly, but a gentle breeze kept them cool as they soaked up the rays. To avoid sunburn, they used the sunscreen they had brought to the beach. Peter began applying the sunscreen to Lynn's body. He was very careful not to miss a spot. It was also nice to touch her body as he massaged the sunscreen into her skin. Lynn also liked being so close to Peter, her boyfriend. When it was Peter's turn, he was amazed at how good it felt to be massaged by his girlfriend. Planning this vacation after their fight, turned out to be a fantastic idea.

After an hour of lounging by the water, Peter and Lynn decided it was time for a refreshing swim. They dove into the inviting waves, feeling the salty water embrace their bodies as they floated effortlessly in the sea. The sun sparkled on the surface, creating a dazzling display of light that danced around them. Swimming in the ocean was a great relief for them after the boredom they had felt during the Covid lockdown. It was so nice to see something different. Even though it was only a day at the beach, it felt like the best thing they had done in a long time.

After drying each other off with a towel, they decided to do something else. "Come on, let's go play volleyball. There is a beach volleyball field over there," Lynn said. Peter liked playing volleyball so he immediately agreed. As they approached the field, they saw that it was already occupied by a couple. They were both about 25 years old. They decided to ask them if they could join them. "Hi, do you mind if we join you?" asked Lynn. "Yes, that would be great," the boy and girl said together. "This is my boyfriend Peter," Lynn said, "and I am Lynn.” The others introduced themselves as Sarah and Daniel. They did not say anything about their relationship, but it was obvious that they were also a couple.

Lynn and Peter had never played together before, so they started the game with a practice session. Sarah and Daniel played well together. This was definitely not their first time playing together. After half an hour of practice, they decided to play a game. Lynn and Peter took the first set. While the others played better, it was Peter's service that made the difference. He served with precision and speed. Although they laughed a lot, it was also clear that Daniel was frustrated by Peter's service. He was probably used to winning matches. In the second set, Daniel and Sarah had adjusted their game to Peter's service. This allowed them to win the second set in a tight battle. Daniel and Sarah took the lead in the third set. They won the set and the match 21-10.

Peter and Lynn congratulated them, "Thank you for the game. We really enjoyed it." Sarah suggested, "There's a bar over there. Maybe we can have a drink and talk a bit.” "Yes, that would be nice. I am pretty tired and could use a break," Lynn replied and Peter nodded. Arriving at the bar they agreed on a table under the sun roof. They had been exposed to the sun for a long time and it was a good idea to give their skin a break. Daniel and Peter ordered a beer, Lynn a coke and Sarah a glass of cold water.

They chatted for a while, mostly about their plans for the holiday and about Covid. Daniel and Sarah wanted to spend most of their time at the beach and do some sightseeing with a rental car. Peter and Lynn told them about their plans for biking and hiking. And they exchanged some Covid war stories. They agreed that the Covid lockdown was necessary at the time. But they had also felt lonely and bored during that time.

Then Daniel changed the subject, "Can I ask you a personal question? I noticed that you both have braces. What is it like to have braces as an adult?” At first Peter was not happy about this change of subject, but he had noticed Daniel staring at his braces. So maybe it was better to talk about them, "For a while I had removable top and bottom braces that I wore 20 hours a day. But my orthodontist suggested that I switch to fixed braces. I just got them last week before our vacation. So far, the braces are fine. They bite into my cheek a little and I can feel the pressure. The annoying part is cleaning them. It is getting better, but it still takes a long time to clean them.” Lynn was surprised that Peter could talk openly about braces. She thought maybe it could keep him into braces. It was her turn to answer, "I have had my braces for a while now. I had perfect teeth, but I broke my jaw in a bicycle accident. This caused my teeth to shift and I ended up needing braces. Peter has been very supportive of my braces. He was even there when I had them installed.”

“Thanks for sharing this with me,” replied Daniel, “So it is bearable even as and adult. But don’t people stare a lot at them?” Peter was the first to answer, “I was certainly afraid about the staring. That is why I have chosen removable braces first. I can not tell you much about staring. I do not have them for a long time and most of the time I was wearing a mask.” Lynn was still impressed by Peter, “Staring is not a big problem. People stare at a lot of things like glasses, piercings or hearing aids. As Peter said cleaning is most annoying part, but you get used to it quite quickly.”

Peter, who had already noticed the clear aligners on Sarah's teeth, asked, "Did you have braces in the past?” Sarah had not said anything so far, but now it was her turn, "I have braces on right now. I have clear aligners. There is no medical reason for my treatment, but I wanted to have a perfect smile. And I had braces for two years as a child.” Lynn asked, "Daniel and you? Did you have braces in the past?” Daniel, who should have expected this question, was surprised, "No, I've never had braces. My dentist never referred me to an orthodontist.” It was obvious that Daniel was hiding something. "Come on, Daniel. Tell the whole story," Sarah said with a stern look on her face.

"When Sarah got her aligners, I was also examined by the orthodontist for aligner therapy. They took impressions and x-rays of my teeth. And in the end, I was given a treatment plan. But they said that my case could not be treated with aligners. I would need regular braces with some additional stuff. They mentioned something to expand my upper and lower jaws and an extraoral anchorage device.” Lynn knew he was talking about fixed braces with upper and lower expanders and headgear. His orthodontist had used the term "extraoral anchorage" to hide the fact that he would need the dreaded headgear. This was a common practice among orthodontists. Daniel continued, "They gave me time to think about the treatment. I am still thinking..." "You sneaked out," Sarah interrupted him.

Daniel looked at her with a shocked expression, "No, I am still thinking about it. It is a big decision and I need some time.” It was clear that this was not the first time they had discussed this topic. It was again Peter who surprised Lynn, "If I were you, I would get braces. Speaking of your proposed treatment, it is quite obvious that you need them.” He then smiled at Daniel and showed off his full metal mouth and rubber bands.

Lynn decided to lift the secret, "I have not told you everything. I not only wear braces. I also work with braces. I am an orthodontist and Peter is my patient and my friend.” Daniel said, "Wow, that is a surprise," and added in a very low tone, "So, do you think I need braces?” Lynn replied, "I have not done a proper examination of your teeth. But I have already seen some problems. And I think you definitely need treatment.” "You sound like Sarah and her orthodontist,", said Daniel, not knowing why he had started the discussion about braces.

They discussed Daniel's need for braces for a while. And when Lynn found out that they lived only 40 kilometers apart, she offered to give him a second opinion. They exchanged contact information and agreed that Daniel would make an appointment at her office. Then they parted ways.

Chapter 28 – Relaxing

Relaxing was the motto for the next few days. They spent most of their days at the hotel pool or at the beach. While at the hotel pool, Peter noticed that some people were staring at his braces. He did not like it, but since he would only be wearing his braces for two weeks, he could handle it. Lynn noticed the stares, too, but for some reason most people were staring at Peter's braces and not at hers. He looked so good with his braces, maybe that attracted people to look at him the most. Or maybe guys with braces were not that common. She had noticed that most of her adult patients were girls. That could be the reason why Peter attracted so many stares. She was not happy with those stares. She was afraid they would annoy Peter and he would sneak out of his treatment.

They also found a new hobby. Both had enjoyed the sauna after their bike rides and they went to the sauna every night before dinner. Feeling the heat on their bodies had such an amazing relaxing effect. Most of the time they were alone in the sauna. So they also had some time to cuddle. They even made plans to add a sauna to Peter's house. He had two rooms that he used for storage. One of those rooms could easily be converted into a sauna. Or maybe they should build a garden sauna. Many plans were made and withdrawn. But no final decision was made.

They had not seen Daniel and Sarah for some time. On their fourth day of rest, they finally ran into them. Sarah still had her clear aligners and Daniel still had his crooked teeth. They really enjoyed meeting them. They also noticed that they were staying in the same hotel. They made plans to have dinner together.

They met at the restaurant at 7 p.m. At the beginning of the meal, Peter and Lynn took off their rubber bands. Sarah took off her aligner and put it in a braces case. Daniel did not have any braces to take off, but he looked at them all. Daniel knew he needed braces. But he was still afraid to have them. And he knew that he would not just get regular braces. He would get some additions and his treatment would not be short.

Peter noticed that Daniel was watching him during the meal. He tried to eat as carefully as possible, but some food still ended up in his braces. Being watched by Daniel seemed rather embarrassing, but he could cope with it. At least during their vacation in Mallorca. He was not sure if he can stand those constant stares of other people for more than two weeks. It was fun having braces, especially with the rubber bands. Yet, he was still looking forward to having them removed after their vacation. He hoped that Lynn would keep her promise to remove them.

At the end of the meal, Peter asked Daniel, "So what are your plans for braces? Have you decided to get them?” Daniel replied, "I'm waiting for Lynn's second opinion.” Peter already knew Lynn’s second opinion and he was already imaging Daniel with expanders and headgear, “You can trust her. She is the best ortho I have ever met,” then he laughed while looking directly into Lynn’s eyes. Lynn smiled back and put her right arm around Peter. Then they gave each other a short kiss on the lips.

"Look Daniel, you can still kiss me with braces. Nothing to worry about. Give yourself a push and start your treatment," Sarah said with a determined look and added, "Look at Peter. He is doing so well with braces and he looks so good with them.” Little did she know that Peter was planning to sneak out of his braces right after their vacation.

Daniel looked defeated, “Please stop it. I can not get braces during our vacation. But I promise to get the second opinion from Lynn as I already told you.” Sarah was not completely convinced as they had talked so often about treatment in the past, “I hope you start your treatment and I promise to support you.”

Peter then focused on Sarah, "So how are you doing with your aligners? Lynn never offered them to me.” Sarah could tell that Peter was trying to help Daniel out of this situation. She explained, "At first it felt weird to have all my teeth covered in this plastic. And when my teeth started to move, I felt the pressure. What bothers me the most is that they require a lot of care. I cannot eat with them and I can only drink cold water. Other drinks stain them and hot drinks even damage them.” Peter said, "Sounds like the removable braces I used to have. I had to take them out for every meal and could only put them back in after brushing my teeth.” Lynn played the professional part, "Every treatment has its advantages and disadvantages. That is why we have to carefully choose the best treatment for each patient.”

With these final words the dinner ended. The evening continued in the bar next to the restaurant. They had some good conversations and drank alcohol. In fact, all four of them drank way too much. They all barely made it back to their hotel room. They fell asleep immediately, still wearing their street clothes.

Lynn and Peter woke up on the next morning with a massive hangover. And Peter realized that he had not brushed his teeth nor had he added his rubber bands. His mouth felt so disgusting. He could almost feel his bad smell. Lynn felt the same and she could also smell the alcohol odors, “My gosh, we partied a lot.” Peter had a massive headache, “My head is almost bursting and I think we haven’t brushed our teeth at all.” “I wonder how Daniel and Sarah are feeling, but let’s go and brush those teeth. I cannot stand the smell,” Lynn said with a disgusted look on her face. They both brushed their teeth, showered and went to the restaurant for breakfast.

They spent the next few days with relaxing and finally it was time for their hiking trip.