Braces Make Feel Old

A month ago I took Aspyn (she's 10yrs old) for her first Orthodontic check up.  We have know for a while that because of the crowding in her mouth that she was going to need braces.  The check up was like any dentist appt.....scans, the Dr poking around in her mouth to see whats what.  Everyone was nice and helpful in the Ortho office.  Then before we leave they say "lets make an appointment"....I ask "what for?"....the answer "for Aspyn to get her braces".  I was a little shocked.  I knew it was a possibility for her to get them soon, I just didn't think that soon would be one week from our first check up.  Spacers were put in before we left our first ortho visit, thus begins our adventure in brace land. :)

Aspyn was all tough girl the first 12 hours, then the teeth get sore from the spacers pushing to make room for the brace brackets. Needless to say for about 48 hours she ate mostly yogurt or food that didn't require chewing.  The week pasted quickly and we were back at the Orthodontist to get her braces on. 

Pre-braces. Yep thats right she was happy to be getting braces.  I know what you are thinking...when did getting braces become semi cool?  Honestly I have no idea but am glad that I didn't have to bribe or beg her to tolerate braces so her teeth all grow where they should. 

Genetically she got stuck with Brians overlapping and my tight tight teeth.  Thus crowding ensues. 

Off to the Orthodontist we go.  For anyone who has never had braces, or never watched someone else get braces I find it all very interesting. Here is my not dentist run down of brace application. :)

First, they clean the teeth. Second, they pull out the spacers and find which brackets fit the molars best. Third, they pre fit the brackets then glue brackets onto teeth. (Fun fact we learned from the nice Hygienist... no matter how much technology or cool stuff you can do on a smart phone, glue still tastes bad, ha!).  Fourth, they glue on the small brackets onto the fronts of the teeth.  This is right after all the brackets were on, she was really excited. 

Now I am not sure which step is next but we will call it a combo step. Fifth, they apply the wires between the brackets and add the bands which are any color of the rainbow. Sixth, you now have braces and you get a super long talk about taking care of your teeth so they don't rot under your braces.  DONE. :)

The whole experience was very interesting to me.  You don't need any numbing, you just have to be patient as the steps are completed. Aspyn was so excited to have her braces on and honestly she did great adjusting to her new mouth gear. :)  Using wax to protect her gums for a few days she kept from getting any canker sores.  Within a week she wasn't sore anymore, and now she is taking awesome care of her teeth.  And my favorite added bonus....she can't bite her nails anymore because it can break the wires, who knew the trick to breaking nail biting was braces. 

Minutes after we left the Orthodontist, thats a real smile.

For now her bands are aqua and pink. Oh and she still loves them.

It is kinda weird for me to have a child who has braces.  Most things don't make me feel old but this just seems like the first of many pre-teen milestones that she is going to experience, hopefully the rest will be this easy.  LIKE THATS GONNA HAPPEN!