Brace Yourself

Well it has begun. Garrett has officially started the teeth straightening process. It begins with the jaw widener, a nice little contraption in the roof of his mouth that will actually split his palate in two. OUCH! This will make enough room for his other teeth to come in. If you look closely in the picture you can see that he has no canine teeth. There is obviously no room for two more teeth. Three nights a week I have to turn a little key in this appliance to separate that palate a little more. Three nights a week I feel awful. It is really uncomfortable for him. Pain alone would be one thing, but it is also really annoying. It causes him to drool and slurp ALL of the time. Everything he eats gets stuck under it, which is the "worst part" he claims. This will be about a 3 month process. When the jaw widener is removed, it will be replaced with a tongue thrust device and braces.

All I can say to poor Garrett is that I went through this whole process too. Jaw widener, lip bumper, braces, HEAD GEAR, more braces with rubber bands, temporary retainers, and (still) permanent retainers. Was it worth it? Every year of it (3rd - 10th grade). I get compliments on my teeth almost daily from my patients at the hospital. They say, "You have a beautiful smile". And I say, "Thanks. My parents paid a lot of money for these teeth". Thanks Mom and Dad for a beautiful smile.