1. There comes a day in the life of nearly every adolescent when they are faced with the dreaded words: "You need braces."
2. Before you get them, you think they're neat and that you're going to look cool.
3. Having to control your gag reflex when they're making the mold of your teeth.
4. That awful pain that invades your entire cranium after your monthly adjustment, making you want to curl up in a ball and cry.
5. The plus side? You get to choose the colors of your bands, combining them and maybe even making fun designs with them.
6. And if they glow in the dark, you automatically win the braces game.
7. Getting clear braces may have sounded like a great idea at the time.
8. Food gets stuck in your braces. All. The. Time.
9. You can forget about caramel candies and gum for the next few months.
10. And any little cut or gash in your mouth becomes a near fatal wound thanks to those little metal suckers.
11. Kissing someone without braces is difficult. Kissing someone WITH braces is impossible.
12. You may find it painful to smile.
13. While some don their braces proudly...
14. ...you've spent your dentist visits hoping and praying that today might be the day they tell you, "You only have two weeks left, a month at most."
15. Wax will become your new best friend.
16. Once your teeth are finally braces-free, it's time for the retainer.
17. That odd contraption which makes you speak strangely and drool excessively.
18. And you try your hardest to remember to wear your retainer because the fear of having to get braces again outweighs any minor discomfort or social embarrassment caused by the retainer.
19. But of course, nothing, NOTHING beats the sensation of running your tongue over your smooth, straight, movie star teeth for the first time.
This post was translated from Spanish.