By Diane Blum
There once lived a girl named little Melissa Willwhine,
If you’d asked her back then, she would have said life was just fine.
But one day in 6th grade, to the orthodontist she went,
And unfortunately for Melissa, her teeth were all bent!
So, poor little Melissa Willwhine was told she’d have to get braces that week…
Two baby teeth would have to be pulled… oh, the news was so bleak!
Something called, “an appliance”, she would have to wear day and night,
A metal band attached to her face! She’d look such a fright!
“Why me?” thought Melissa, “What did I ever do except brush?”
“It’s just not fair…. I’ll look like a robot!”…Oh, Melissa did gush.
But no amount of fuss was going to make the problem go away.
Because she was due back at the orthodontist the very next day.
A sad little Melissa Willwhine showed up at Dr. Molar’s, her mom holding her hands,
And he put in something called, “spacers”, to make room for something called, “bands”.
The spacers were tiny, so why did they make Melissa’s mouth feel so sore?
“And I don’t even have the braces yet!” pouted Melissa, as she slammed closed her door.
But the soreness went away quickly, and her teeth moved apart,
And Melissa returned to Dr. Molar’s with renewed hope in her heart.
She realized that her teeth really were all bent, and even scary,
And that having them fixed would make her smile just like a princess fairy.
Dr. Molar put in metal “bands,” and “wires,” and “brackets”, too…
So many pieces of metal! Melissa didn’t know what she would do!
But, one fun thing did happen, she got to pick out the “colors” of her bands…how cool!
She chose pink, white and lilac…all the colors of her elementary school.
“It isn’t so bad,” sighed Melissa after wearing her braces awhile.
“I’ll have beautiful straight teeth and a beautiful smile!”
But then, a few months later, to Dr. Molar’s she returned…
And, oh, you won’t believe what Melissa, from that trip, had learned!
She had forgotten about the headgear! A metal mask she’d have to wear!
“At least 14 hours each day,” Dr. Molar had said, but Melissa didn’t care!
A strap around her head, how barbaric was that?
She would rather have pimples, be ugly and fat!
“No,” Melissa said, “I am just not going to wear it!”
“People will tease me…. I just can not bear it!”
But Dr. Molar told Melissa that her jaw was growing the wrong way,
Without the headgear, something called, “her bite”, would worsen each day!
So poor little Melissa Willwhine left Dr. Molar’s with new headgear on tight,
She hid under her sweatshirt; she covered her face, hiding from everyone’s sight.
At home, she studied herself in a mirror, and started to cry.
Oh, it didn’t really hurt, still…she wanted to die!
But time went by, as time always does…
Melissa had been wearing her headgear…and was,
Use to it, not bothered by it, almost bored by it, now…
It was part of her mouth, and her mouth was looking…wow!
Her teeth were coming in straight, and her jaw growth was better,
She had followed Dr. Molar’s instructions right down to the letter.
“14 hours each day, and never anything sticky to eat,
No chewing gum, no popcorn, and few things that taste sweet.”
Now, when not-so-little Melissa came into a room, people looked and did stare,
Because she was smiling…always smiling…smiling here…smiling there.
She had grown up a beauty; with a straight pearly white smile…that,
Caught everyone’s eyes, especially a young boy named Matt.
So, when Matt walked up to Melissa to invite her to a dance the next night,
She giggled, and she smiled…and her lip she did bite…
For Matt was smiling with his own mouth full of metal, his braces went on for a mile!
And Melissa said to him, “Yes, I’d love to, because you have a great smile.”
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