Sylvester I Feel Your Pain

When I was a kid and watched Looney Tunes I always felt bad for Sylvester the Cat. It wasn't that Tweety could out smart him or that he took the fall for all the mayhem they caused. It was when Sylvester tried to talk that made me feel bad for him.

As you may recall he had a lisp. I know you're shaking your head wondering where this post is going with this story. Well here's the thing...I have a self-made lisp. As I stated in "I'm Not Talking" I am now wearing clear braces (Bioliners http://fivestarortho.com/featured_products_blackice.htm).

I know at some point I will have beautiful straight teeth but right now I have a clear retainer in my mouth nearly 24 x 7. This means every time I try talking I have a lisp, I slobber and I'm embarrassed. Those of you who wear or have worn retainers have an idea of what I am experiencing.

I am doing what I can to lisp my way through work; I am a Dental Office Manager who has to answer phones, talk with patients and vendors face-to-face, and have some level of authority when dealing with the staff. It's not easy to 'lay down the law' at work when I sound like this. Don't even get me started on the amount of saliva I've generated because of this thing.

I am also lisping my way through life: Sunday I had meetings in Durango for my calling as Stake Single Adult Co-Leader and after our committee meeting we went in with the High Council. Thank goodness our Stake President is an orthodontist so is used to it but I feel sorry for everyone else who is struggling to understand me. I know you all say I sound fine but what are you really going to say, 'can you take that thing out while you talk to me'? Actually, Linnea (my sister) asked me to do that last night when we were talking.

I did draw the line last night when my Alison's Pantry (http://www.alisonspantry.com) customers came by to pick up their orders. I took the braces out and a few hours later I paid for it when I popped them back in...my teeth cried out in agony. There is a silver lining in all of this. With the Bioliners you don't have to wear them as long as you do with traditional braces, your cheeks don't get all cut up and at some point it will all come to an end. I just keep telling myself that eventually it will have been worth all of the pain and embarrassment.