While Mia experiments with eye shadows and cream shimmers and lip glosses, a special occasion for me means putting my dentures in. Because my mother numbed my gums to make me drool in order to convince doctors to remove my salivary glands, my teeth decayed. Some teeth fell out on their own while others required extraction. Some of the medications I was unnecessarily taking also had oral side effects, so whatever the actual culprit was, my gummy smile is destined to be a permanent reminder of my abuse.
