Four Extractions Complete!

I am very relieved to say that I did survive the ordeal of having four perfectly healthy teeth pulled out (on two separate days). I cannot say that it was not at least a slightly traumatizing experience: the crunch sound a tooth makes when it refuses to let go of the flesh and bone that binds it, the shock waves that travel through all near by teeth at the sight of slaughter.
I experienced almost no pain at the dentist's clinic but an hour after returning home with my mouth stuffed with bloody cotton wool a numbing pain shot through my face, piercing my jaw bone. I could almost feel the hollowness of the cavity the missing tooth had created in my skull. With a couple of Panadols I was able to get my mind off the unpleasantness. The pain persisted for a day or two but I had very little difficulty in chewing food or brushing my teeth. A few hours after my last two extractions, in spite of my mother's appeal to stick to vegetable soup, I devoured a whole plate of rice with dried fish curry.
Now since my wounds have healed I am glad that the most gruesome parts of getting braces are behind me. Can't wait for the perfect smile!