Bye-bye braces!

Daniel's teeth were freed from confinement this morning. He is the proud new owner of straight upper teeth (the braces were only on the top).

I took before and after pictures outside the orthodontist's office.

Before:


After:


(Apparently, he shrunk in that dental chair.)

When I got a good look at him after we walked out, I was amazed at how huge his teeth are! They have been hiding behind wires for 19 months. Wowzers. His teeth are bigger than his parents'.

All these big teeth spell trouble...there's not enough room for all of them. He's already had two permanent teeth pulled and now he has to get two more pulled to make room for the next one growing in. Crazy.

But he's sure got a nice smile. It's hard to believe he's gotten even more handsome! ;)

He gets a retainer in a couple of days. Fortunately, he only has to wear it 12 hours a day. I wish my orthodontist had said that for me...20+ years ago.

Wired!

The deed is done. Here are Daniel's before and after pictures.

The braces are only anchored with the little braces glued on...no metal bands were used to anchor the whole deal. He has football shapes on the front two teeth and he chose blue rubber bands. He got quite the collections of gadgets to care for his teeth and it's like an early Christmas present for him!

He hasn't started hurting yet, but I expect to hear about it within 24 hours. For now, he's enjoying the extra attention!

Brace Face

My nine-year-old will have braces before Christmas! He had two teeth pulled yesterday to make room for the work they will need to do with the braces. Poor kid.

As it is, he's back to drinking motrin and tylenol while we battle the pain from the TMJ, which is exacerbated by the bad bite he has...hence the braces.

I thought the bill from the TMJ doctor was pricey. We could fund the next 5-6 Christmases, nicely, with what it's going to cost to fix his teeth. And it's only the top half. We're getting a nice collection of bills here. I kind of wonder what will be next.

Anyone want to hire me? I'm good for nothing and complain a lot, but I'll work really hard to drive the paycheck to the bank (unless you do direct deposit).

Stay tuned for pictures near the end of the month!