Pearl and Flossie

"I'm okay." Quinn replied nervously.

"Good to hear!" Said Pearl. "Now, just for starter's, here's the x-rays we took the other day." Pearl pressed a button on a computer monitor hanging above Quinn, showing an image of her teeth. "I've managed to devise a standard treatment plan for your case. Your bite is fairly average, and most orthodontists would not prescribe any treatment, but this study focuses on our ability to elevate typical smiles to perfection. I assume you've seen some of the results?"

Quin nodded, thinking of her ex's new girlfriend.

"And you've already read the terms and conditions for this study, correct?"

Quinn nodded again.

"Then let's get started!" she said, sitting down. Quinn heard a mechanical whir as the chair reclined, giving her a view of nothing but the ceiling tiles. Pearl leaned over, wearing her blue mask and loupes. "Before we begin, our orthodontic treatment can take a very long time, and you may feel some discomfort, so we offer sedation for our patients during their treatments. Would you be interested in this?"

"Yes." Quinn replied, wanting this to be over with as soon as possible.

"Very well." said Pearl. "Flossie, please prepare the anesthesia."

Quinn heard some fumbling, then Flossie's face appeared in her field of vision, holding a rubber mask. She gently placed it over Quinn's mouth and nose and placed a gloved hand on her forehead. "Breathe in very deeply for me now, and count backwardth from ten. Good girl." She cooed, lightly petting her scalp. The last thing Quinn saw was Pearl and Flossie's masked faces looming over her.

---

When Quinn came to, it took a while for her to remember where she was, but she could feel an immense pressure in her mouth. She groaned and put a hand on her jaw as her eyes fluttered open, once again having a look around the braces room.

"You're finally awake!" said a familiar girly voice. Quinn looked over at Flossie, and was taken back to reality seeing her tight uniform and disturbing appliances. "Tho, how are you feeling, thleepyhead?"

"My mouth hurts." Quinn managed to mumble.

Flossie giggled. "Yeth, that'th normal. Would you like to take a look? Thmile!" She held up a mirror to Quinn's face. Quinn bared her teeth and recoiled. It seemed like every inch of her teeth were covered in metal. "Thorry we don't offer any fun colorth, thethe ecthperimental treatmenth are pretty bare boneth."

"Is this really how I'm going to look?" Quinn asked.

"Oh no, I haven't shown you how to put on bandth yet." Flossie replied. "Open wide for me now!"

Quinn awkwardly let Flossie place a collection of rubber bands around her teeth, restricting her jaw even further. "You'll need to change thethe daily, and take them out while eating. But that'th not all!" Quinn raised her eyebrows as Flossie brought out the worst twist so far.

Quinn was in shock as Flossie clipped a metal bar into her mouth, and wrapped the black cloth strap around the back of her neck. "You'll need to wear thith ten hourth a day, probably ath you thleep." Quinn slowly nodded as Flossie took the device off. She barely paid attention as Flossie went over basic hygiene routines with braces, as well as what foods she could no longer eat and what activities she should avoid.

Pearl walked in just as Flossie was wrapping up. "There she is! Takes a bit of getting used to huh?" Quinn nodded.

"Well, you're just about ready to head out, but there's just a couple details left to go over. First things first, for an accelerated treatment such as this, we'll be seeing you every week. Would the same time work for you?" Quinn nodded.

"Very good, also, since these methods are so new, it would be better if you refrained from seeing any other dentists or orthodontists while under our care." Quinn nodded again.

"This brings us to one last thing, which is more of a reminder than anything." Pearl took on a more serious tone. "This treatment needs the utmost compliance to be successful. If you fail to achieve this, the treatment will not go well for you. Do you understand?" Quinn nodded once more.

"Perfect!" Pearl exclaimed, showing off another flawless smile.

---

Quinn walked home, still clutching her aching jaw, and holding a bag full of rubber bands, informative packets, and her dreaded headgear. She desperately hoped to not run into anyone she knew. When she got home, she chucked the bag under the bathroom sink to forget about it, and plucked out each rubber band from her teeth to throw in the garbage. Before she went to bed, she briefly remembered her headgear and Pearl's warning. Still, she went to sleep without it. "After all," she thought, "what's the worst that could happen?"

5.

Quinn woke up in pain. Her entire mouth ached, and it wasn't until she ran her tongue over her new metal additions that she remembered why. She groaned as she remembered the appliances Pearl stuffed her with the day before. She rolled out of bed, not brushing her teeth, and went to the kitchen. Her mouth was too sore for a full breakfast, so she had a quick smoothie instead, feeling depressed about the lack of eggs or bacon.

Later in the day, Quinn was surprised to notice how few stares she got around town doing errands. Not to mention, when she did see the occasional braceface, she felt smugly satisfied about the slight difference her lack of bands made in her appearance. She was still feeling better when she met Charlotte again for lunch.

"So you got the braces after all, huh?" Charlotte asked.

Quinn didn't want to tell Charlotte about her ex's photo. "I just thought about it... and it's just a once in a lifetime opportunity, right?" she lied.

Charlotte laughed, showing off her dazzling new smile. "I guess so right? Pearl's a genius, I swear."

Quinn groaned. "Maybe. Can't believe I have to see her every week though."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "She's nice. And so is Flossie. It's a shame I never really talked to either of them in school, they both grew up to be so interesting."

"Fine, whatever. She's nuts if she thinks I'm gonna wear that headgear every night though."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You're not wearing the headgear? And come to think of it, you don't have any bands either. You're sure you're going to go through the treatment like that?"

Quinn laughed. "They're not gonna know. Besides, it's so much less painful, and the bands make your mouth look even grosser. Worst case scenario, the treatment takes a bit longer."

Charlotte shrugged. "Your funeral, I guess."

---

Quinn was pleased to find that the pressure on her teeth relaxed as the week went on. By Friday night, her mouth almost felt like it did before Pearl started her torture, and she of course wasn't going to ruin that with a night of headgear.

She made her way to the office the next morning. The waiting room was empty, once again, with Flossie at the reception. "There'th our favorite patient! How wath the firtht week?"

Quinn had almost forgotten about Flossie's extreme treatment, and her nearly unintelligible lisp. "It was... better than I expected." Quinn replied.

Flossie grinned, giving Quinn a full view of her appliances. "That'th alwayth good to hear. Did you bring your headgear?"

Quinn shook her head. "I didn't know I was supposed to."

"It should have been in the pamphleth I gave you, but that'th okay, jutht bring it nektht time, okay? I'll take you to the chair now, if that'th okay."

Flossie once again lead Quinn to the braces room. As Quinn sat down in the chair, Flossie began to clip the bib around her neck. "Pearl will be with uth in jutht a few momenth, tho jutht thit tight, okay." she said with a smirk. Quinn nodded, nervously resting her hands on her stomach. "So, Flossie, I've been kind of wondering, how long have you been in braces exactly?" Flossie smiled as she began to put on her gloves. "Thinthe 9th grade, I think. Weird, I know. They're not out of any medical nethethity at thith point of courthe, but Pearl alwayth needth a willing tetht thubject, and I love theeing what she planth to do to my poor little mouth nektht." She giggled a bit. "Altho, the bratheth were thuch a big part of my gender tranthition, they honethtly feel like a part of me now, not to mention that my treatmenth are alwayth quality wife time. In fact, she'th planning on her nektht big thtudy to focuth on tranthgender orthodontic patienth."

As Quinn was processing this, Pearl appeared in the doorway. "Good morning, Quinn!" she said, beaming. "How was the first week?" Her uniform seemed to cling tightly to her athletic frame, giving Quinn an impressive view of her body as she adjusted her mask and sat down beside her.

"It... wasn't so bad. I might need to get a hang of the uh... maintenance." Quinn didn't want to admit her apathy to the treatment so far.

Pearl almost seemed pleased. "Yes, that is normal for the first week. We try to be lenient with the rules at the beginning, but I'll expect some more effort next week, m'kay?" After snapping on her gloves, she began to recline the chair. "Would you like to be sedated like last time?" Quinn nodded, looking at the ceiling.

She watched Flossie once again bring the mask to her face as Pearl adjusted the examination light. "Jutht breathe deeply like latht time, okay? Go to thleep like a good girl." She brushed some hair out from Quinn's face as she drifted off.

---

When Quinn opened her eyes once again, she looked up at Pearl looking down at her with a rather stern expression. "Quinn, I'd like to discuss your treatment a bit more."

Quinn took a moment to adjust, gently rubbing her jaw and wincing. She felt a throbbing pain in her jaw, twice as bad as last time. Pearl continued. "By looking at the state of your bite, I'm wondering if you paid any attention to my instructions at all. You are taking this seriously, aren't you?"

Quinn nodded. "Sorry, it takes some getting used to, and there's a lot of info in those pamphlets..." she lied.

Pearl seemed to relax. "It's okay, I just don't want to see your treatment fall behind schedule is all. I'm looking forward to seeing your new smile once the time's up." She gave a warm smile, which was offset by her jarringly perfect teeth. "All I ask is that you take this a bit more seriously this week. We had to tighten you up a bit more than usual today, and I don't think either of us would like it if we got any further off track, right?"

Quinn nodded. "I promise I'll do better next time." She said solemnly.

---

Quinn stepped back in her apartment, clutching her jaw once again. She took some ibuprofen and went to work getting rid of each of the fresh bands Pearl had gracefully threaded into her mouth. She was glad Pearl seemed to take her excuses seriously, and of course that she didn't have to see her for another week. She went to bed without the headgear, letting it gather dust under the sink for another night.

6.

Quinn's heart sank when she woke up on Saturday morning. Naturally, she hadn't once made an attempt to follow Pearl's instructions in the past week, and she was beginning to feel nervous about her running out of patience. She brushed as hard as she could, making sure to grab her headgear as she rushed to the office this time.

---

The waiting room was once again devoid of any other patients. Flossie perked up as she stepped in. "You're here early! Are you jutht that exthited today?" She gave one of her patented metal grins.

Quinn awkwardly nodded, holding up her headgear, causing Flossie to smile as wide as her appliances allowed her. "And you finally brought your headgear! I'll take you to your theat, we're jutht about ready for you."

Quinn once again followed Flossie to the the dreaded chair. Flossie helped her into the seat and clipped on the bib. "Alrighty then, I'll jutht take the headgear for Dr. Whiteth to inthpect, tho jutht thit tight for a moment, okay?"

Quinn perked up. "Wait, what do you mean inspect?"

Flossie smirked. "Oh, yeth, thith ith your firtht time bringing your headgear in. You thee, our headgear are equipped with timerth that will tell uth how long a patient had worn it for."

Quinn was speechless as Flossie stepped out of the room with her appliance. She fidgeted as she looked around the room. The styrofoam models seemed to loom over her, some of them wearing devices even more sinister than Flossie's. She didn't know why these two dental professionals were making her so nervous, but she had a bad feeling about this appointment.

After what felt like ages, the door creaked open. Pearl stepped into view, with Flossie behind her. They both had oddly calm expressions on their faces. Pearl spoke first.

"So, Ms. Moretti, I'm afraid your treatment will be a bit different today. Due to your lack of compliance so far, we may have to move you up to a level two patient. I trust you remember this from the terms and conditions." She sounded strict, yet polite, almost like a schoolteacher. "We won't be using sedation at this point, but we will be using other methods to keep you still while we work. This may be a good time to remind you that if you decide to opt out of the study at this point, we will regrettably have to sue for breach of contract." She gave a pitying smile. "Now, have you ever been to a dentist that used any type of restraints before?"

Quinn was at a loss for words. "I... no? What kind of restraints are you talking about?" She was almost shaking.

Pearl gave a gentle smile. "Yes, dental restraints aren't as common as they should be. My parents would use them for uncooperative orthodontic patients, and this office has used them ever since. Some of my patients even request them during their treatment, isn't that right, Flossie?" Flossie blushed, hiding a smile with her perfectly manicured hands. "We'll just be using some simple rubber straps, is that alright with you?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, it's alright." She supposed it was best to get this over with, after all.

Pearl smiled again. "Perfect. Flossie will get you nice and comfortable while I get everything ready, how does that sound?"

Quinn nodded again, and Pearl stepped out of the room. Flossie looked down and smiled. "Alright Quinn, jutht relaxth and plathe your armth on the armrethtth, okay?" Quinn complied, looking straight up at the ceiling.

Flossie leaned down and pulled what looked like a car seatbelt from under the chair, only made of thick pink rubber. She loosely wrapped it around Quinn's ankles, clicking it into the other side. Quinn took deep breaths as she repeated this process across her body, with two more straps on her legs, one on her waist, two more on each arm, one tucked under her bib, and finally one on her forehead. She moved to the back of the chair and twisted a dial, the straps tightening all at once.

The chair reclined, straps moving uncomfortably as Quinn's body changed position, causing her to wince slightly. Flossie loomed over Quinn. "Comfortable? Trutht me, thethe rethtrainth are a lot more pleathant than the one'th Pearl'th parenth uthed on me." She grinned, as if she was retelling a funny anecdote.

Flossie donned her mask and gloves, flicking on the examination light and adjusting it towards Quinn's mouth, just in time for Pearl to reenter Quinn's vision, now masked. "Alright, thweetie, jutht open wide for me..."

Flossie began to floss between Quinn's braces, digging out a week's worth of filth. She sighed. "Thith would be tho much more pleathant if you brushed and flothed youthelf, you know." She carefully went into nook and cranny available, drawing a bit of blood from the more sensitive areas. She moved on to the brushing, moving a pink toothbrush in tiny circles throughout Quinn's mouth. When she finished, Pearl held a paper cup of water to Quinn's lips. "This can be a bit awkward with your head restrained, but try to spit back in the cup." Quinn just dribbled froth down her chin, leaving Pearl to wipe her face clean with a tissue.

Pearl pulled Quinn's lips back to put the cheek retractor in place, giving the pair a full view of Quinn's in-progress smile. Flossie turned on the suction, tucking it into the corner of Quinn's mouth. Pearl removed the wire with a pair of pliers, giving Quinn a brief release from the pressure in her jaw. She then threaded the new wire into each bracket, before inserting a thin metal tool, which tightened the braces with each twist. Pearl repeated this, needing to exert more force each time, with Quinn's moans increasing in volume. Despite her athletic build, Pearl needed two hands by the end, with Quinn clenching her eyes shut, gripping the armrests and wiggling her feet as much as she could. Flossie began to stroke her forehead with her gloved hand. "Shh... jutht be a good girl for uth and get through thith, okay? You don't want to make thith any more difficult, do you?"

Pearl finally finished, clipping off some of the excess wire. After taking a moment to admire her handiwork, Pearl removed the cheek retractor and undid the forehead strap. Quinn took deep breaths, relieved that the worst was over. Before Quinn's tongue could finish exploring her newly revamped orthodontia, Flossie gently coaxed her mouth open once more, allowing Pearl to insert the facebow. Pearl produced a small thin piece of metal, inserting it into Quinn's braces and turning it, causing something to click. She then moved over to the counter, slipping it into a drawer out of Quinn's sight and locking it. Flossie attached Quinn's headgear to the facebow, pulling it taut.

Quinn winced as the pressure in her mouth doubled, causing Flossie to gently pat her forehead. She spoke softly. "At thith thtage of treatment, our only option for keeping you on thchedule ith to up your wear time to 24/7. We know thith could be difficult for you, tho we've dethided to lock it in at leatht until your nextht adjuthtment. Remember that trying to remove it yourthelf can be dangerouth, and that your contract forbidth you from theeing any other dental practitionerth until your treatment is complete. Do you underthtand?" She had a sympathetic tone that Quinn doubted was genuine.

"I underthtand." Quinn replied.

7.

Quinn winced again as the chair was brought into a sitting position, the rubber restraints still digging into her body.

Flossie removed her mask as she began to undo the straps one by one. She gave Quinn a small smirk. "You've been a very good patient for uth today. I know thith kind of exthperienthe can be dithtrething for thome patienth, but you were very brave through the whole thing." She spoke like she was calming down a scared child, instead of a grown woman.

Quinn sighed as she moved her arms after what felt like an eternity in bondage. Flossie removed the bib and helped her out of the chair. Quinn kept touching her headgear, marveling at how firmly it was affixed.

---

When Quinn got home she saw herself in the mirror for the first time. Thankfully, her appliances weren't anywhere near as obvious as Flossie's, but there was still no hiding the cloth strap or metal facebow.

She removed the cloth strap, sighing as the pressure was slightly released, but the facebow wouldn't budge. She spent what felt like an hour fiddling with it in front of the mirror, even using a paperclip to try and pick the lock, but it really was in there for good. Is this even legal?, she thought to herself.

She continued her day without the strap of course, constantly fiddling with the facebow. When she got ready for bed, she considered trying it out for the night, but decided it would have to wait. There's no way she could sleep with that kind of pain, after all.

---

As she went on through her errands the next day, she noticed how many stares she got. Naturally, a woman with headgear wasn't a typical sight, so the humiliation was to be expected, especially with her new lisp. But she began to notice some stranger looks from women her age, especially those with perfect smiles like Charlotte's.