Investing in the future

A few weeks ago, I went to our dentist, Dr. Stan Clark, with a sore tooth which he pronounced as abcessed, and recommended that it be pulled.  His professional opinion was that it was not saveable.  So we had him do the job.  It left a gap in my bottom front teeth, not a full tooth's worth, however, because the front four from which this tooth came were crowded and partially behind or in front of others.  He suggested that an orthodontist could move them so that the three would approximately fill the available space.  So, he referred us to Drs. Trapnell, two brothers with good reputations who practice orthodontistry in Spanish Fork.  

I debated in my own mind whether it would be worthwhile to get a tooth-straightening job at my age.  I finally decided that I would vote for the future and do it, both for my own good looks and for being able to eat corn right off the cob for several more years.

I got the braces on this morning, and will have them for about a year.  I am already feeling great empathy for the grand-children who have had to go through this.

Addendum 10/4/17
Here's the rest of the story.  I got the braces off this morning, but not, Valerie, that I am no longer interested in the future.  At dinner on the day when I got the braces on, I bit down on a piece of meatloaf and one of the connectors came off on the left side; then I tried to chew a piece of Zucchini (steamed, soft) and lost two connectors on the right side; while eating a bite of ice cream after dinner I lost another connector on the left.  Since then I stayed with really soft foods, yogurt, soup, oatmeal, to try not to disturb anything else.  I was able to get an appointment with the orthodontist for this morning, to talk things over and possibly re-glue these connectors.  Apparently, it is easier to get the glue to bond with regular tooth enamel, than with artificial stuff, crowns, etc.  I then decided I didn't want to go another 363 days worrying about what to eat, how to chew, and have the discomfort I found associated with braces, plus the uncertainty of having emergencies to go back in to get the braces reattached.  So I had him removed what was left and I am braces free.   Hurray!