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.