I guess the best way to go about it is to be honest and straightforward.

Back in July I was involved in an accident. The injuries I sustained were serious but not life-threatening. They are injuries I can heal from but not fully.

In a technical, literal sense, I won't be the same.

There are three semi-permanent issues for me at the moment.

One, I'm not able to open my mouth as wide as before. Two, one of my teeth is missing and I can't just replace it, it's not that simple and I'll explain why in a second. Three, because my teeth are now misaligned, I decided to wear a night bite while I'm sleeping to avoid grinding my teeth.

The problem is I broke several bones in my face several different ways, so my teeth are misaligned because my bones are now misaligned, which is also the reason why I can't just replace the tooth. Because the space where the missing tooth was is smaller than the tooth itself. Smaller than any tooth, in fact. And it marks the point where my jaw broke.

In theory, it can be fixed but A, it won't be as good as before, and B, it's going to require dental treatment, surgery and then dental treatment again.

In other words, it will require pain, discomfort, time, patience and money. 

And now for the upside and good news, because there's some.

First, I can, in theory, do nothing and live a happy life. But the occasional facial muscle ache I feel now will likely get worse as I get older.

Second, you wouldn't know this just by looking at me. I look basically the same as before. Which is good because psychologically, that's very important.

The only indication something may have happened is a little scar above my right eye and, if you're close enough and paying enough attention, you may notice the little gap between my teeth.

I don't waste time and energy trying to wish it away because there's no point. It happened. This is my new reality.

BUT, sometimes, like today, it makes me sad. 

We get what we get.