Change Can Be a Pain

A couple of weeks ago I went to my dentists’ office to pick up my “aligners”. Yep, I did it. After years of contemplating about whether or not to get my bottom teeth straightened out, I decided to get the invisible braces. It seemed like an easy fix—just wear the aligners for eight months to a year and voilà, a perfect smile. I sat in the chair and watched as he took the aligners out of the package that was customized for me. I opened my mouth as instructed so that the aligners could be fitted onto my teeth. I was not prepared for the “pressure” that I felt. My teeth and gums hurt so bad that I wanted to take the devices out immediately. He assured me that it would feel better in 48 hours. He explained that it would take about ten minutes to take the aligners out of my mouth by myself and encouraged me to be patient when I made my first attempt. He advised that I return to his office the following day if I was unable to remove the braces myself. I drove home trying to figure out what I had gotten myself into. That evening, I had to take the braces out in order to brush my teeth. The notion of “pressure” was no match for the pain that I felt. It felt as if I were pulling out my teeth without Novocain. I talked to myself throughout the process and finally they came out. I brushed my teeth gently and snapped the braces back into place. Again I felt a rush of pain. I took some ibuprofen and went straight to bed. Eating was not an option. The next day I was not interested in eating anything. To make matters worse, it was difficult to say certain words because of the braces. The only thing I could look forward to was the 48th hour. I developed a strategy of drinking Ensure for breakfast and lunch so that I only had to take the braces off to eat dinner. Two days later, still painful. Three days later, no better. It took about a week for me to finally get to the point where it was worth it to take the braces out to eat lunch, and about a week and a half for me to be able to make the “S” sound when I spoke. It’s been two weeks now, and I can take them out and put them in with little difficulty. I can eat and only experience mild soreness. Two weeks ago, I didn’t think that I’d ever eat again. Next week, it will be time for the new set of aligners—the next “phase” of my treatment plan. You see, every two to three weeks I will get a new set of “vice grips” and have to deal with the pressure of my teeth adjusting, shifting and correcting. I’m hearing from “survivors” that it gets easier to deal with over time. The lesson that I want to share with you is that change is never easy. In fact, change is uncomfortable. Change doesn’t feel good. Sometimes it’s even painful. Change can leave you feeling uncertain about your decision. You may even feel like retreating to your old method of operation—change has a way of making the old way seem easier. One of the most frustrating things about change is that it takes time. Real change doesn’t usually happen overnight. Progress is not easy to see either. It may happen so slowly that it doesn’t seem like it’s happening at all. It may not seem worth it. Change anyway. Ghandi said it best: “Become the change you want to see”. If there’s something that you want to fix, fix it. If there’s something you want to do, do it. If there’s something you need to stop, stop it. If there’s something you want to be, be it. If it’s important to you, commit to change even though it’s difficult. For after the rain comes the rainbow and after the pain comes the reward. I’m smiling through the pain and changing for the better all the while!