Help Tarah Put Jean in his Place!

Hi, my name is Tarah and I’m going to tell you the story of my guy, Jean.

From the beginning, life was normal. But as per most people who hit this stage in their life, middle school sucked. And on top of it, I got this wonderful issue where I had a tooth grow over my precious baby tooth.

I decided to name that tooth Jean, and he was probably the worst thing I could have ever had happen in middle school. As I went on, I’d hoped the tooth would naturally move into its spot and give my baby tooth the boot (as they normally do) but this one was massively comfy and cozy in the most inconvenient spot he could find. I remember my dad told me and my sister to “leave the tooth alone” and “it will come out when it’s ready” but notoriously, it did not. Jean and the baby tooth were here to stay.

So over the years Jean just grew and grew, making more of an appearance. Like a magician's top hat with a bunny underneath. Out of this came heaps of insecurity for me. Feeling inadequate to my peers (kids can be seriously awful and mean if we can all remember), and because of the expensive price that comes with getting braces and dental care in general, this has always seemed like a dream or a fantasy of sorts, something I cannot meet or attain. It has caused massive issues to my self-esteem and overall well-being, and what was supposed to be a normal part of hitting middle school or high school turned into an unimaginable goal for me and a massive insecurity. Not to mention it feels like it’s begun pushing all my other teeth slightly to the right.

I have finally been able to schedule a consultation with an orthodontist - but the price is a sky-high whopping $5,000 + $700 retainers (my insurance does not cover adult braces) and the payment plans they have offered are incredibly hard to reach as a girl with her own car, living in her own apartment, and bills to pay as an independent young adult (they need $2,000 down!).

So for my birthday this year, I’m asking my friends and family to help me put Jean in his place. Anything at all would help. Everyone deserves to smile, laugh and experience joy without feeling out of place or being ridiculed for their smile, even Jean. It means so so massively much to me I will cry happy tears if we can manage to get these braces snapped on.

Thank you so much for reading :) <3