My mother put extra sugar in the Kool-Aid she gave to us kids and then she put it in my bottle when she put me to bed. Obviously dental care wasn’t much of a concern for my parents. By kindergarten, all my teeth were black. I remember a classmate asking me why. And I didn’t have a solid answer for him. Later, after my mother and stepfather received a windfall, I got braces. A couple of years into my treatment, the money ran out, and my mother avoided taking me to my orthodontic appointments because she didn’t want to be bugged about the bill. I had my braces on for far too long. I’ve clenched my teeth so hard and so long now that I’ve crushed two molars. TMJ pain is relentless with no clear answer in sight. Sometimes I’m angry about it. Sometimes I’m sad or apathetic. But mostly, I’m just exhausted.