Part 9: The first adjustment
Elise's first six weeks in braces was rough. Her mouth ached constantly, and her speech was a whole other matter. She made sure to explain things slowly to students and use as many hand outs as possible so that they could read instead of her constantly talking like before. The only problem now was that her jaw seemed to be more out of alignment than before. She couldn't determine if her mind was playing tricks on her, or it was just part of the process.
At her first adjustment, she signed in and greeted by Kara who smiled widely showing less metal. The appointment she'd made was early morning on a Saturday. She was surprised to hear the office opened at this time, but she gladly took the appointment.
Being the only one in the waiting room made her really nervous. Her knee bounced up and down while she heard drilling which got louder as the door to the rest of the office opened. It was Hannah who held her file and was smiling.
"Hey Elise how was the first six weeks with everythng in?" Elise sighed as they walked to a room with two rows of chairs. The chairs were empty except one which had a young college man sat in it, gripping the armrests. Dr. Brandt was trying to comfort the young adult as he worked.
"Todd, we need to wire it in. I know it's hard having braces in college, but that's your choice. Now, you're going to have this the next year, so I suggest you get used to it. " The young man had tears rolling down his eyes as Dr. Brandt worked. Todd was brought in by his dad the school year before when he refused to wear the appliances prescribed to him by previous orthodontists. Todd had no clue that this fully compliant plan would have him in braces for about five years.
Elise's view of Todd disappeared as Hannah reclined her and placed a bib. She tensed some hearing Hannah fill the tray with tools that she couldn't see.
"Elise, are you having any issues? Anything come loose?" Elise nodded and sighed.
"L-like I said I'm a teacher so I need to speak a lot. I practice, but I'm still having issues." Hannah nodded and removed the wires from her mouth.
Before she knew it, Dr. Brandt was in view pulling on new gear. He smiled while pulling up his mask. Hannah pointed the light to Elise's mouth and spoke. "She's still having trouble talking still."
Dr. Brandt nodded as he took a big look. "Well, practice makes perfect. Hmm...this herbst is doing great. I do see that your lower jaw is coming forward to fix your overbite which is great, so I'll keep it until next visit. Let's work on these front teeth. Hannah, can I have both expanders please?"
Elise's eyes went wide and she tried to talk as Dr. Brandt slid the expanders in and took pictures. He then began to glue them in. "Elise, I know that these aren't the most fun, but you're going to have the most perfect wide smile and no headaches before you know it. I want you turning those expanders every night. " Hannah holds a mirror above her mouth so that Elise can see. "So, you will turn the key like so " He gives two turns on each and Elise gasps in pain as he does. Her feet move some giving away her discomfort.
Dr. Brandt then began to admire his work. Elise was in tears at this point, feeling stunned as her mouth felt so full. "Hannah, bring me a thicker wire. " Elise's shaking her head no was ignored as the doctor worked to finish up the adjustment.
What Elise couldn't see was a woman walking in and having a seat in the consult room which was just down the hall. She was with her husband, who had been pressuring her to fix her teeth.
