Lessons after 7 years with braces | Kayleigh Latimer | TEDxYouth@Houston
uh hello I'm Kaylee ladimer I'm 14 years old I go to Lamar High School I'm a freshman and I live in Houston Texas I faced many struggles throughout my life such as bullying outwardly appearance and topics and issues that I'm sure you as people who have experienced them as well would be able to well you know we understand each other my biggest struggle however was when I got braces I got braces at the age of seven needless to say it was a it was a struggle but I was the first one to have them so I was unique and almost cool in a way didn't everyone else got them but I had them first so I guess I was a trend Setter just as soon everyone started getting their braces off and I felt left behind by the movement when I had started that's when I realized braces would be my first real life problem and my first personal problem I had to deal with a lot of physical pain during my time with braces I had to deal with canker sores there was a lot of food I couldn't eat but worst of all the Sharp Cuts in my gums the inside of my mouth now looks like it's been through Tex's Chainsaw Massacre the sharp wires cut me over and over and over again and I can't describe how bad that hurt but I could always get prescription and wax and help me heal why why you may be asking did I have to deal with seven years of braces well it's very simple really I was born with obnoxiously large buck teeth it didn't help that my mom let me suck my thumb at a very young age which caused my teeth to stick out almost horizontal we had two choices either get braces around this age and and have them till I was maybe in my 20s or get them very young and get them off around my age and well we know which one she picked so thank you mom um I help to deal with a lot of emotional pain as well through braces one particularly interesting day I was bullied by a couple different people the first one came up to me got straight in my face and told me I had a metal mouth which it didn't hurt that that bad but it didn't feel great the second one called me train track face because that was the most original thing he could come up with but the third the straw to break the camel's back was when the kindergartener got right up and with all the articulation he could muster he goes ew braces that's so gross it's so crazy thank you thank you thank you it's so crazy how someone so innocent could make me feel so bad about myself in a world where image is so important if not everything well needless to say it was hard for me to be proud of my smile when I had taken so much hate and bullying for it but just like prescriptions and wax I use my family and my friends to help me heal they loved me they hugged me I ranted about my interesting day and all the awful boys that happened all to go to the same school and be rude on the same day it was like the perfect storm so after that it became a lot easier to be proud of who I was and my teeth in 5 days I will finally be liberated from my braces yes 7 years later I will not only be taking away a straight smile I will be taking away confidence confidence that I have learned through throughout my ear with these braces confidence to show you the last picture on my slideshow and trust me it'll take a lot of it I have not only taken away all these wonderful traits and just like all these life lessons that I have learned and I am so thankful for it so without further Ado thank you so much and I hope you all have a rest nice rest of your day