A big round of applause for Julia McDonnel for her article. As a "three time braces champ," she truly deserves the title as a champion. Her agonizing procedures to get straight, "perfect chalk-white teeth," was intriguing and caused my toes to cringe and my face to transition from bored to sour as I felt like I was her going through the process. I have always been inquisitive and overloaded with questions about getting braces. Do they hurt? How do they do it? What is the most painful part? Is it really worth it? However, the only response I received was, "It was painful but don't need them Nina," from my friends. I very much know it is painful but I want straighter teeth and a detailed story of what it is like to sit in that dental chair. So thank you Julia for answering my questions with your fascinating story and you truly deserve a metal!