Smile: A Graphic Novel

At her Girl Scouts meeting, Raina receives measured encouragement about her jutted-in teeth from her friends. When Raina worries that they make her look like a six-year-old, Emily dismisses that idea but also criticizes her twin ponytails. After a somber walk home, Raina decides to stop wearing her hair that way but accepts she is succumbing to peer pressure.

Raina skips class to go to the endodontist for a root canal, a long operation. She is nervous at the beginning of the procedure, but the doctor gives her soothing music to listen to. However, he accidentally burns her mouth with a hot sealing tool.

In two visits, Dr. Dragoni creates a molding of her teeth using a disgusting material and installs her upper row of braces. The goal of the braces is to gradually move the teeth using increments of pressure. The warning that Raina “may experience slight discomfort” proves to be an understatement as she experiences stings of pain throughout the day (44), and during a family trip to the movie theater she begins to crave the now-forbidden bucket of popcorn that Will gets.

Raina convinces her parents to let her pierce her ears before she reaches 18. Her mom is unsure because of an ear infection she suffered after her piercings as well as the simultaneous dental pain, but Raina insists that the procedure is safe.