My experience: How I became Interested in Orthodontia

Written by Alex Reddy

“I want to be an orthodontist when I grow up,” said no child ever.

Until about fourth grade, or when my teeth became far too messed up for my parents to ignore any longer, I didn't even know what an orthodontist was. Of course, I've seen braces and retainers on teeth and I knew that somehow an orthodontist was related to them, but aside from that I had no idea what their job was. I think this cumulation of curiosity along with my extensive time spent at an orthodontists office really set me up to be fascinated with orthodontia.

As I mentioned earlier, I had my first visit to the orthodontist in the beginning of fourth grade at about 8 years old. This visit was only the first of many to come. Shortly after my visit, I had my first retainer put in (a device which prepares your teeth for braces or tries to correct the issue on its own). From that visit on, I had seen the same orthodontist about every three months until I was thirteen years old. Since the retainer didn't complete the job after five long years, we changed orthodontists when I turned thirteen. At thirteen, I was given braces. I then wore braces for two long years until my teeth were finally straightened. You may think I was overjoyed to finally be free from the metal in my mouth, and I was; However, after going to the orthodontist so often for over 7 years I began to miss it. This feeling of missing the office lead me to look deeper into what I thought about orthodontia.

A few years later as a senior in high school, I was presented with the great opportunity to gain an internship with the business of my choice. Without having to put much though into it, I immediately requested to intern with a local orthodontist. This great experience along with my long lasting curiosity in the subject lead me to uncover my passion for orthodontia and consider orthodontia as a career option. I am very thankful for the many years of experience I have already attained and also very excited to see what the future has to offer. I plan to continue my path in orthodontia by majoring in human biology, and then going to grad school to specialize. I hope that one day, I will have the amazing opportunity to introduce orthodontics to a fascinated child just like my orthodontist was able to for me.