You’re never too old to make changes in your life
I’ve been trying to live by the mentality of; “You’re never too old and it’s never too late to make a change in your life” for about the last 7-8 years or so. Sometimes that’s got me into trouble, and other times it’s led me to have some amazing experiences I otherwise wouldn’t have had. Making changes in your life, if you want to make changes, is serious. And as the idea implies, it CAN change your life, so don’t take it lightly.
However, some changes you can make you’ve probably been thinking about for a long time. You know what they are.. We all have something we’d like to change about ourselves, or about our life. Loosing weight and being more healthy so you can live a longer life. Or quitting smoking, or getting out of a toxic relationship, or finally starting that side business you’ve been thinking about. These are all major changes that can have major impacts. Most of the time, the only thing holding you back from making changes or starting something new is yourself.
I didn’t know who I was anymore
For me, about 8 years ago at about 42-43, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I’d been racing cars competitively for about 9 years, and even won a championship in 2006. I got burned out and eventually sold the car and everything else that went along with it. It sold pretty quick to a guy in Canada because after all, I built one hell of a championship winning racecar.
A few years after that, I gained some extra weight and wasn’t happy with myself. I knew I wanted to better myself, but I didn’t know how. So, I started right there with my most nagging pain point, my weight. We got a treadmill and I started doing fasted cardio every single day, and I saw results. Then, I got a trainer and hit the gym. Once the weight started to come off, I started feeling better about myself and I started looking for something else I could improve. It’s like a snowball, once you make one positive change, you can’t wait to make another one. And for me, next in line was my teeth.
I never had braces as a kid and I have all my wisdom teeth. They came in fine, but I think they caused a little crowding. So over time, my teeth got pretty jacked up. On top of that, I had a bike accident when I was younger and had to get a root canal on one of my front teeth, so it was dead and discolored. I was the classic case of the guy who never wanted to smile.
Getting braces at 45
I ended up meeting an orthodontist socially and we started talking about my options. One option was the plastic trays like Invisilign. There’s a few other similar brands, but you probably know what I’m talking about. These are the small trays that you wear that straighten your teeth over time. The over time part was a problem for me. With the amount of correction I needed, I’d be in these things for about a year and-a-half or more. The next option was braces. But not traditional metal train tracks, he told me about 6 month smiles.
This was a brand that made clear brackets and wires that would straighten most teeth in about 6 months. Since I was 45 at the time, I didn’t need or want full-on bite correction. I just wanted the front of my mouth to look better, so that’s what I did. Please keep in mind, this is not a partnership or a sponsored video at all. I’m just here telling you what I did. Now, since I didn’t need full bite correction, the braces only went about half way back, so they were pretty much only focusing on the front, which is what people see when you talk and smile.
Going through the whole 6-month process was pretty interesting. Now, truth be told, I made 18 videos during the 6 months I had braces, and those were the very first videos I posted on my YouTube channel. They’re gone now, but if you were curious, that’s how my YouTube channel was born. I wanted to document the journey and share it with other people. I wanted to let people know that it’s okay to get braces as an adult. Look, if there’s something you want to change about yourself, change it. Like I said earlier, the only person standing in your way is you.
Now, I should’ve gone another month or so, but I was moving so I made the decision to take them off after 6 months. Another month would’ve been amazing and probably would’ve fixed the funny lisp I have, but that’s all hindsight. After the braces came off though, I still had discolored front teeth from the bike accident. The only way to get the color to match was to go with veneers, so that’s what we did. My 4 upper incisors are veneers. I also have a small permanent wire that’s attached to the inside of my bottom row to help reduce any movement, and that makes flossing a little more difficult down there.
I would absolutely do it again
Would I do it again… ? Absolutely, 100% without question. Eating food is a little weird at first, but once you figure out what works, it’s really no big deal. You just can’t really tear into anything like you might be used to, and you have to cut up bites a little bit smaller.
Guys, if you haven’t figured it out by now, especially if you’ve been a subscriber for a while, all I want the best for you. I want you to live the best life you can. I’m just here to help show that it’s NOT too late and you’re NOT too old to change something.. if you want it changed.
We all aren’t made of money, but if you want your teeth fixed and you can scrape it together, do it. Make an appointment for a consultation with a dentist and go talk about it. The cool thing is, 6-month smile braces doesn’t take any effort to have a better smile. It’s just a little time and temporary discomfort.
Well, that’s where I’ll leave it for today and I hope to see you in a few days for a brand new post!
