Pearl and Flossie

They seemed to look at her with a mixture of pity and amusement, pointing her out to their friends and even stifling laughter. A cashier at the supermarket even had to take a breath and collect herself as soon as she heard the lisp. It began to dawn on Quinn what the headgear meant to Pearl's other patients. After all, Pearl did call her a "level two patient". Was this headgear really some kind of humiliating punishment? Not to mention, the fact that she wasn't even wearing the straps...

When she got home, her phone buzzed. Charlotte wanted to meet up for coffee the next day. Quinn groaned. Even if she wore the strap and the bands, the headgear alone would be bad enough. The last thing she wanted was Charlotte's "I told you so", coming from her perfect mouth.

Quinn fiddled with the facebow once again in front of the mirror. It had to come off somehow, with or without Pearl's help. She remembered her landlord left a toolbox under the kitchen sink. With the help of a pair of pliers, she managed to mangle the facebow beyond recognition, though it was still firmly attached to her mouth. She tried another angle, grunting as she dug at her braces with the same pair of pliers.

While they were much more dull than the ones Pearl used, and obviously not meant for orthodontic use, she managed to tear away at where her braces connected to the facebow, finally dislodging the wretched piece of metal once and for all.

However, as she grinned into the mirror, her feelings of triumph gave way into regret. She looked at the twisted piece of metal in the sink, and ran her tongue over the broken ends of wire in her mouth. Fuck, now what?, she thought to herself.

---

Quinn canceled the date with Charlotte, citing a sudden migraine. She didn't leave the house for the rest of the week, barely responding to texts or social media. Obviously, she couldn't fit the headgear back on, let alone fix her braces herself. The broken wires irritated her mouth, and she considered scheduling an emergency appointment, but she couldn't quite bring herself to face the music just yet.

When Saturday finally came, she could barely get out of bed. She halfheartedly brushed her teeth, sighing as she noticed the buildup of gunk in her braces from another week of not flossing. She grabbed what was left of her headgear and solemnly left her apartment.

The sky was grey as Quinn walked to the office, looking at the ground like she was on death row. Luckily, nobody she knew saw her. She stood trembling in front of the house for a few minutes, coming to terms with her fate. After what they put her through last week, she couldn't even imagine what was awaiting her today.

---

The door jingled as she stepped in. Once again, the waiting room was empty except for Flossie, who cheerily greeted her as she entered.

Quinn nervously stepped towards the window, and Flossie sighed as she came into view. "I'm guething the headgear didn't work out after all, huh?"

Quinn just looked at the ground, holding the mangled appliance. Flossie smiled. "It'th okay, we've theen everything, jutht follow me and we'll talk about it with Dr. Whiteth, okay thweetie?"

---

As Quinn took a seat on the chair, Flossie gestured for her to place her arms flat for the restraints as she put on the bib. Quinn complied, allowing the straps to come over her once again. As Flossie adjusted the dial, she seemed to tighten them more than last time, but it was hard for Quinn to know for sure.

As the seat reclined, Pearl stepped into the room. She took a seat across from Flossie and looked down at Quinn, her blue mask looming over her. "So, things didn't quite go as we planned this week, did they?" She had an oddly polite tone.

Quinn nodded as much as the forehead strap would allow her. Pearl flicked on the examination light and began to examine Quinn's mouth. "So, when did this happen exactly?"

"Thunday night." Quinn awkwardly replied. Pearl raised an eyebrow. "And why did you wait until now to inform us?" She tapped a broken portion with her gloved finger. "This looks very uncomfortable, we could've had this taken care of right away."

Quinn sighed. "I wath... nervouth, I gueth. I didn't want you to get mad."

Pearl seemed to smile under her mask. "It's alright Quinn, headgear isn't for everyone. A lot of patients have trouble with it. This is far from the first time I've had a situation like this in my study. We'll try to go easy on you this time, okay?" She looked up. "Flossie, honey, would you please get the gas ready?"

Quinn once again felt the rubber mask pressed against her face. Flossie scooted forward, and began to stroke her hair, her breasts slightly pressing against Quinn's head. "Everything'th going to be okay, jutht clothe your eyeth, that'th a good girl..."

---

Quinn blinked as she once again woke up in the dental chair, though this time, the pressure in her mouth seemed to have subsided just a bit.

"There you are, thleepyhead!" Said Flossie. "How do you feel?"

Quinn ran her tongue over her braces. "A little better actually. The restraints are a bit uncomfortable, though." She felt relieved that her lisp was gone, for now.

Flossie laughed. "Yeth, we'll let you out in jutht a bit. We jutht need to go over the nextht level of your treatment."

Pearl stepped into view. "Since you seem to have responded poorly to the headgear, we'll be moving you up to a level three patient. Assuming that goes well, you're almost done with your orthodontic treatment. We've adjusted your braces to feel more like they did at the beginning of treatment, to give you some rest until next week."

Quinn was beginning to feel anxious again. "What's level three?"

Pearl smiled, showing off her full set of teeth. "You won't be coming to this office next week, as this level of treatment will be done at Apollonia University's dental school. I've been working with them for the study, and they'll be using some equipment of my invention. However, you should be sure to clear your schedule next weekend, as this may take some more time than your previous appointments."

Flossie piped up. "I wath one of the firtht patienth their equipment wath tethted upon. The thtaff there are very friendly, and the rethulth are incredible. It'll be almotht like going to a thpa for the weekend." She gave an excited pink, white, and blue smile.

Quinn looked at their two smiles and tried to relax. They seemed genuinely friendly this time, and she couldn't back down after coming this far. After all, it wasn't like her treatment could get any worse...

8.

As Quinn was released from the chair, she was unexpectedly hugged by Flossie. "We'll mith you tho much! Nextht time we thee you, you'll be done with your treatment! I can't wait to thee your thmile onthe it'th finished!"

Quinn awkwardly smiled, but was glad her dental nightmare seemed to be coming to an end.

"We'll thend you directionth to Apollonia Univerthity'th medical camputh. We've already thcheduled your appointment, you'll need to be there at 8:30 AM sharp on Thaturday, tho don't be late, okay? You'll be meeting Nurthe Willow, she wath very kind during my treatment there!"

---

Quinn went through the week feeling rather relaxed. Her teeth were bothering her much less, and her humiliating appliances were no more, she didn't even have to wear headgear at night! She called up Charlotte, planning another coffee date.

---

"So how's the treatment going? You're still not wearing your bands..." Charlotte asked, eyeing Quinn's metal smile.

"Great! I finish next weekend, actually. And they said I don't need any of the extra stuff after all, looks like I got away with it in the end." Quinn said with a smirk.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "Really? A friend said she saw you walking around in some kind of headgear the other day..."

Quinn blushed. "Right... they gave me a level two treatment for a week, but they moved me up to level three later on. They just decided it wasn't right for me, I suppose."

Charlotte tried to hide her shock at the mention of level three treatment. "Level three? I've heard that's very... relaxing. I'm happy it worked out for you, Quinn."

---

Quinn groaned as she woke up on Saturday morning. The university medical campus was about a half hour drive, and she wasn't quite in the mood for a dental appointment that early in the morning, even if it would be the last in a while.

She sloppily brushed her teeth and went out to her car.

---

She got to the campus at around 8:40, and had to ask for directions to find the dental building. She arrived at a large brick building, lined with small opaque windows. As she stepped into the building, the receptionist directed her to room 432 on the fourth floor.

Room 432 was a small waiting room, decorated with educational orthodontic posters. In the window was a younger woman in light green scrubs. "Quinn Moretti? You're late." The woman said with a smile.

As Quinn approached, she got a closer look at the woman. She had chin-length curly black hair, and wore bright red lipstick, framing one of Pearl's signature smiles. Her name tag read Nurse Willow, next to a smiling cartoon tooth. She seemed oddly familiar, but Quinn couldn't place why.

"Pearl and Flossie told me all about you, it's very nice to meet you." Nurse Willow said. "Are you ready for your perfect smile?"

Quinn nodded. "Flossie was your patient here, right? She seemed to like you."

Nurse Willow smiled. "Yes, we had a lot of fun together, she has quite an interesting mouth to work with. She seemed very excited for you to be a patient here as well. Do you know what we'll be doing with you today, Quinn?"

Quinn shook her head. "Not really, no. I just know it'll be better than the headgear, I guess."

The nurse chuckled. "Perhaps, perhaps. It'll be much easier to show you. Follow me."

Quinn stepped through the door, entering a hallway with hospital privacy curtains lining the walls. Nurse Willow lead her to one of the curtains, and pulled it open, causing Quinn to shudder in horror.

---

Behind the curtain was a pink dental chair, similar to the one in Pearl's braces room. Lying in the chair however, was a pretty young redhead dressed in nothing but a hospital gown and a bib speckled with drool. She was covered in the same rubber straps that had been used on Quinn just a week ago. The young woman's mouth was clamped wide open, displaying a mouth full of orthodontia, with a bulky set of metal braces and a network of pink rubber bands. Her braces were connected to a set of headgear not unlike Flossie's, reminding Quinn of a pink umpire mask. The mask itself seemed to be attached to the headrest. The woman's eyes looked up at Quinn.

Nurse Willow walked around to the side of the chair. "Quinn, this is Anna. Her orthodontic treatment went more or less how yours did, so she'll have to stay in a Whites Universal Corrective Device." Anna's eyes followed the nurse as she explained the set up. "The WUCD was designed by Dr. Whites, and can theoretically fix any orthodontic problem. The patient is affixed to the chair for the duration of their treatment, which will regularly change pressure to treat different portions of the mouth, like this."

Nurse Willow flipped a switch on the side of the chair, causing a mechanical whir as the devices adjusted. Anna clenched her eyes shut and moaned in pain, gripping the armrests and wiggling her feet.

Quinn was speechless. She was transfixed by Anna's gaping mouth, stuffed with metal and pink plastic, occasionally dripping saliva onto her bib. Nurse Willow seemed to notice her reaction.

"Yes, it does seem a bit extreme when you first see it in person. It's described in great detail in the terms and conditions, but patients always seem to act like this is their first time hearing of it." She smiled and shook her head. "But you'll be fine, won't you? I can tell you want to get this over with, and according to Dr. Whites, you have the choice between this or a few more months of headgear. Or being sued for breach of contract, of course."

Quinn struggled to find her words. "Is it... is it as bad as it looks?" Just about anything sounded better than more headgear, but this had to be a sick joke.

Nurse Willow shrugged. "I was quite diligent with my own treatment, I wouldn't be able to tell you. The results for the women that come out of here are incredible, though. Flossie seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, though she's a little peculiar, isn't she?" She chuckled a bit.

Quinn looked back at Anna. She wasn't sure what kind of advice she would give if she could speak, but her eyes seemed to be pleading for her to reconsider, but Quinn knew what she had to do.

"I'll do it. I'll go in... the chair, or whatever you called it. I just want to get this over with..." She closed her eyes, not wanting to take another look at poor Anna.

Nurse Willow smiled. "Good choice. Let's get you prepped."

---

Quinn was ushered into a small changing room and given a hospital gown, decorated with the same smiling teeth on Nurse Willow's name tag. She sighed before stripping down and changing.

When she emerged, Nurse Willow took her by the hand and led her to a vacant cubicle. "Get comfy, dear." She said with a sly grin.

Quinn took in a deep breath, and gingerly took a seat, leaning her head back, allowing the nurse to begin administering the straps. Quinn winced as the dial was turned, Nurse Willow apparently liking her patients to be strapped in much tighter than Flossie did.

"Are you comfortable so far?" Nurse Willow asked, carefully clipping the bib around Quinn's neck.

"N-not really..." Quinn replied.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it for the time being, won't you dear?" She said with a smirk as she flicked on the examination light.

Quinn watched the nurse don her mask and gloves. "Any last words before I gag you up, sweetheart?"

"No, I guess not..."

"Good. Open as wide as you can..."

---

Nurse Willow quickly went to work installing new additions to Quinn's mouth. She started with a device holding her mouth wide open, fitting neatly between her teeth and gums and connecting to her braces with a satisfying click.

The rubber bands came next. They were pink, like everything else in the university clinic. Quinn's eyes darted around the room as Nurse Willow carefully arranged them into a delicate web spanning her gaping mouth.

Then came two facebows, one for both the upper and lower teeth. They were attached to a headgear similar to the one Quinn was previously forced to wear in public, looping around the back of her neck. Quinn groaned as the nurse adjusted it, doubling the pressure in her mouth.

"Shh... you wouldn't want to bother our other patients, would you? Be a good girl and try to stay quiet as I get you fitted..." Nurse Willow lectured as she worked. "Now for the final step..."

The nurse lifted the next device into view. It was the same pink umpire mask Anna had worn. Quinn closed her eyes as it was placed over her face, clicking into her braces and being fastened tighter with even more rubber bands.

Nurse Willow clipped the mask to the chair's headrest, once again causing the pressure to drastically increase. Quinn winced, trying not to make as much of a sound.

"Now, this should automatically adjust every half hour or so, but just to make sure it's set up correctly..." Nurse Willow flipped a switch on the side of the chair, causing the pressure in Quinn's mouth to shift.

Quinn moaned and clenched her hands on the armrests. "Seems to be working properly." Nurse Willow stated, ignoring her patient's reaction. "Now, you'll be in this chair for the next 24 hours. Tomorrow, your treatment will be complete, so try to stay positive through this experience. You're quite a lucky girl, receiving this treatment for free and all. And one more thing..."

Nurse Willow pulled out her phone and crouched down next to the chair. "My boyfriend lives all the way in Chicago... since I don't get to see him too often, I send him a lot of selfies. He loves seeing me with my patients!"

Wheels began to turn in Quinn's head. She knew why the nurse seemed so familiar. The mysterious girl in her ex's photo, with the perfect smile...

Quinn tried to protest, but she couldn't speak with her mouth clamped open. She tried to struggle, but the restraints wouldn't budge. All she could do was moan and wiggle her hands and feet.

Nurse Willow pulled down her mask and showed her Hollywood smile, snapping a few selfies of her and Quinn side by side.

Nurse Willow stood up, smiling. "He loves seeing me with pretty patients like you. You know, you're almost exactly his type, if it wasn't for the... you know." She gestured to the devices surrounding Quinn's face. "But just you wait, once it's all over, you'll be a knockout!"

---

Nurse Willow flicked off the examination light, and left, closing the curtains behind her. She was kind enough to turn on a small TV across from Quinn, leaving it on a home shopping channel.

Quinn tried to adjust to the treatment, but the periodic adjustments made it difficult to relax. Not only were they uncomfortable for her, but she was regularly disturbed by the moans of patients in the neighboring cubicles.

Occasionally, a nurse would come in to quietly check on her, not saying a word as they checked Quinn's progress and gave her small massages.

At one point, Nurse Willow led another nervous patient into the cubicle, introducing her to the WUCD, the same way she had done for Quinn with Anna. Another time, a small team of dental students were led in, with their instructor detailing Quinn's treatment while allowing them to poke and prod her open mouth.

---

Quinn had apparently drifted off as some point, awaking to her appliances being removed one by one.

A pair of blonde nurses silently worked to remove the artifacts of her torment one by one, before putting a small cup of water to her lips, as her mouth was painfully dry from being held open so long.

As Quinn ran her tongue over her bare teeth for the first time in what felt like eternity, one of the nurses held up a small mirror to her face. Charlotte was right. She looked like a celebrity...