I don’t know who gives kids permission to grow up so quickly but today was one of those days that I found myself realizing just how quickly my baby girl is growing up. Today, my baby girl got braces. Far younger than most kids who end up in braces making me feel as though she’s just growing that much faster. I know you all are anxious to see her with her braces so I won’t stall longer…here she is before and then after… proud, nervous, and anxious to share her new braces.
Braces, already? Hope’s just over two months shy of being nine and she’s in braces already. I’m still baffled at how this happened so quickly. We weren’t expecting it to happen this early but when we took her in earlier this month for her routine dental check up the dentist instantly recognized how much her front teeth had shifted and how her front tooth was growing outward and he suggested we immediately consult with an orthodontist that same day. After she saw the orthodontist he expressed his concerns and said he rarely ever recommends children this young to have braces. Typically most kids don’t get braces until they’re closer to 12-14 years old when more of their big teeth have grown in. However, in Hope’s case the orthodontist feared if they didn’t take preventative measures to correct her front teeth now that it could further complicate future teeth growing in. He also feared that because her front tooth has decided to grow outward that if she were to ever fall she could potentially break the tooth and cause permanent damage. We obviously wanted to take no chances and decided to make the hefty investment for her to get braces early.
As you can see in the photo at this point she only has two braces on the very two front teeth. And thankfully just two because I don’t think I could handle her having more at this point. As the two teeth beside her front teeth finish growing in in the next month or two they will also have braces so that all four big teeth are straightened. Over the next month she will finish having the rest of the apparatus put in. I believe a retainer type of device on the bottom will help with the process of straightening her teeth but she has to be fitted for that soon. She should only have these braces for a year and they will then come off and be replaced by a retainer. It’s likely that when she’s a couple years older that she will need braces again to fully correct all of her big teeth that grow in over the next few years. Every month this year she’ll go in so they can make adjustments to her braces and so they can check to make sure everything is going okay. Of course Hope’s happy she gets to change the color of the braces every month to a different color. As you can see…she’s quite proud of the hot pink braces she has this month. Though I can tell she’s still a little nervous about it all I love how positive and optimistic she is. She has said several times the last week or so that getting braces is a sign of “maturity”…something she seems to be very proud of. (as her mother begs her to stop trying to grow up so fast!!!) She also seems very proud that as of today she is supposedly the only third grader in her school with braces.
I imagine this next year is going to be interesting and hopefully it doesn’t take too long for her to transition into the changes that come with braces. She not only has to deal with the discomfort but she now has a long list of 40-50 things she can’t eat. Yes, just a little over a month before halloween she got the bad news that it’s likely that she won’t be able to eat most of the candy she’d get trick or treating. Everything chewy and hard are completely crossed off of the list of things she can eat…including most candy, chips, popcorn, and much more. As she plays sports she now has to wear a retainer which thus far she seems to have taken well to. I’m sure it’ll take some getting use to but right now we’re all still getting use to the changes.
Yes, changes…I wish I could keep my baby girl little forever…but she’s growing and that’s something I can’t keep from happening. Today was the first day she has ever said to me when I reminded her that she was my baby girl…I heard her proclaim, “Momma I’m not a baby”. Ah, but no matter how much she grows…she will still be my baby girl…no matter how much that smile of hers continues to change.
by Amanda Kern
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