The first steps toward a better smile and the story of my agony of getting braces

I think that everything started in my childhood...
I was a thumbsucker for a long-long time - if I remember well, I managed to get rid of this bad habit at age 15. Thank's to my thumbsucker period my upper jaw is now much foreward than the bottom one, and in addition due to the wisdom teeth there is a crowding in my bottom teeth. As a teenager I refused to wear braces, because in Hungary in the 90's braces wearers were quite rare even among childrens, and I didn't wanted to look like someone from space.
In my mid twenties the position of my jaws started to disturb me. At that time I danced in France as a member of a small ballet company, and several ballerinas wore orthodontic braces. I talked with them about braces, and mentionned, that I also wish to fix my bite.The reaction I got shocked: they got laughed at my idea! When I asked what was so funny, they apologized and told, taht it was simply comic for them to hear from a man that he is thinking about going in braces, because as they said "braces are girlish things"... It was strange to hear this, but they were right, I was unable to remember back to have seen a man in braces, I saw only children, girls and young women wearing braces. I regretted that I hadn't undergo the orthodontic treatment when I was a teenager, but because of the reaction of the ballerinas I lost my resoluteness and I decided not to go in braces.
After almost 10 years of the above mentioned affair I noticed that more and more adult is wearing braces, and not only women, but some men as well. It seemed for me, that the opinion that braces are only for teenager's and for women started to change. I decided to make an appointment with some orthodontist. Unfortunatelly both of the visited orthos told me, that I need a jaw surgery. I was very disappointed, I wanted a better and healthier smile, but a surgery seemed too drastic for me. Last month my wife's niece got her braces and it turned out that her orthodontist is used to be a classmate of my wife in the secondary school. For my wife's suggestion I made an appointment with her, and for my great surprise after studying my X-rays she told me, that probably she can fix my bite without surgery. She has taken molds, and gave me a date for a second appointment for thursday. I hardly can wait what will be her final decision, but one thig is sure: I'm now absolutly determined, if she can achive the desired result without surgery I will start the treatment. Cheer for me!