But She’s So Young!
Emma is being fitted with braces on Wednesday. I know, shocking to me too! The dentist mentioned we should take her to an orthodontist when he cleaned her teeth because he noticed some significant crowding. About a month later I finally got around to making the appointment after asking around for some referrals. I found one that was close by and highly recommended and I really like her. Emma’s first appointment was a lot of picture taking and mold making. Then yesterday Rob and I went for a parent consultation with the orthodontist.
She walked us through the Damon system and discussed why this is the best course for Emma right now. She has some permanent teeth that have been blocked off by the crowding above, and unless there is some space made for them now, they will be coming up in some ugly places. This system is different than the old school method of rubber bands and teeth extraction because it uses a wire that has a memory and gently eases teeth into place instead of pulling them like rubber bands would. The brackets allow for the wire to wiggle a bit so it is far less painful as well. The whole process is done in phases. Phase one is about 10 months in braces followed by about 3 years of a retainer until all of her permanent teeth are in. Then there is another year in braces and finally a permanent retainer is attached to the back of her teeth to keep them in place.
Emma is very nervous about it now because nobody else in her class has braces, and she saw the “Do Not Eat List”. The whole idea wasn’t so bad until she saw that she can’t eat whole fruit, caramel apples, pretzels, chips, nuts etc. She talked to Aunt Erica about her experience with braces, and I think that helped her a bit. We’ll just have to cut things up more and take smaller bites. I am also nervous for her, but keep reminding her (and me) that while other girls have to worry about braces in high school, her teeth will already be perfect!
That’s exactly what I was thinking as I was reading. Get it done while you are younger and the rewards are an even more beautiful smile that much sooner. Good luck Emma! You are a brave girl.
Emma, there is no substitute for a beautiful smile with lovely straight teeth. Better to do it now and avoid all the mean wisecracks when you are a teenager about your ‘wonky crooked’ teeth. You’re doing the absolute right thing at the perfect time. Give your parents extra big hugs for caring about you so much to attend to this important health step so quickly.
Emma I had braces in High school when I started dating and it was NO fun.I didnt like to smile because my teeth were so crooked. I think you will love being free of braces at a much younger age. I think Adler is going to have jaw and spacing issues in his early teens which will require some kind of orthodontic treatment. I have asked the dentist about it many times and he wants to wait. I wish we could do it now.
I remember how fun it was when you and Cory and Courtney (where is she by the way?) threw me a little “party” after my braces were off – with a lovely card (still have it) and some caramel apples!
I think it’s great that Emma is getting them now and yes, her teeth will look BEAUTIFUL in just a short time!
Wow. Crazy.
We have to wait two years before we can start the braces. We got this great new dental insurance that covers a ton of the cost of braces, but we have to be on it for 2 years before we can use it, so we have to wait for now. At least we will be getting it done, but I had hoped it would have been sooner. Oh well, at least Emma can tell Dylan and Ciel all about it when their time comes to get fitted with them.