Pretty much almost everybody has to go through it, the pain, suffering, and relief of getting them off. Braces, the nightmare of teenage years, are one of the cons of being young. But for some people, it happens more than just once.

Grace Ehlinger, junior, has had braces twice. “The first time I had them was back in fifth grade and got them off in seventh grade.” Middle school is the most common time to have braces, so nobody really cares.

But high school is a different story. Getting into your upperclassmen years, it can be difficult to have them on. When planning for things like senior pictures, it’s tough. “I don’t know when I get them off, probably in a few months,” Grace says, “I didn’t wear my retainers, so I had to get them on the bottoms again.” Fortunately for Grace, she has time to still plan for senior year activities.

The way they look isn’t the only awful thing about braces, the pain the probably the worst. “I hate them, hate is a strong word, but they deserve it. It hurts when you first get them on, they look weird, food gets stuck in them, and you can’t floss.” With all of this to worry about on top of every other teenage problem, being a teenager is tough.

School, work, practice, friends, and family are common worries for a teenager, but adding braces put everything over the top. People expect so much out of the average teen, but honestly it’s tough. Braces are one worry that nobody wants to add to their list.