5 months!

That's how long it will be before Maria's next orthodontic appointment!! We have been going there every 2-6 weeks for nearly 4 years since she started orthodontic care. She finally had her braces removed 6 weeks ago and had a check-up this morning. Everything is going well, so we are free for 5 months! Ahhhh!

Look closely to see Maria WITHOUT braces!

 

I looked up the dates of her orthodontic care tonight to see how long she's endured all this:

She got her head gear to wear at night October 1, 2008.

She got braces on the top 4 front teeth four months later. These were removed 8 months later.

She got a full set of braces 6 months later and wore them for nearly 2 1/2 years. And all that comes out to a total of 4 years!

**************************************************

NaNoWriMo update:

Maria- 2695/6000 words

Cati - 830/5000 words

Matteo - 533/1000 words

And I've now blogged 5/5 days!!

 

Posted with Blogsy

The Braces are Back

Maria got her braces back on on Monday. She finished Phase I of her orthodontia care back in October, and now we begin Phase II. Phase I consisted of a night brace and 4 front braces. After getting 2 baby teeth pulled (unexpectedly) on Monday, she got a full set of braces on top. Eventually, she'll get some on the bottom, too.

Those two teeth were loose. One was hanging by just a bit, so I wasn't surprised when the doctor came out and told me that he took the tooth out. He also told me at the time that she had another loose baby tooth, but that it's wasn't very loose and he was afraid it would bleed too much if he took it out now. About 5 minutes later, he came back out with a smile on his face and handed me a small envelope with 2 teeth in it, proudly announcing that he got the 2nd tooth out. Orthodontists are strange people! :)

I said, "Oh, poor Maria!"
The doctor answered, "Oh, no! The 2nd tooth was actually easier than the first. It just popped out!"
The easy for the one NOT on the receiving end to say!

However, Maria said later that it really wasn't a big deal :)

In other orthodontic news, I had the orthodontist looking Cati's mouth, and he wants to see her officially for an appointment in 6 months. Cati thinks this is very exciting!

Brace-free!

Maria got her braces off this morning!

Maria is free of her night brace (head gear) and braces in time for enjoying some sticky goodies on Halloween! She wore the night brace for a little more than a year. She wore the braces for 8 months. (Click on the links to see the blog posts that marked those events.) She now has a retainer that fits on those front 4 teeth that she has to wear whenever we're home during the day.

Now, we wait to see what orthodontic work, if any, that she'll need in the future. From the beginning, her orthodontist said that she would need 2 sets of braces. Now, he says that we'll just wait and see. We will see how the rest of her permanent teeth come in.

Maria gets braces :)

After wearing head gear at night for 4 months, Maria finally got 4 front braces added for her enjoyment :) She's doing well. She's complained of a little discomfort. Her main disappointment is not getting to eat popcorn, which is one of the kids' favorite snacks. She got the braces Monday morning, and we were already back in the office this afternoon to adjust her night brace because it wouldn't fit anymore. For some reason, they didn't try it on after putting on the braces. She's probably be wearing all of this for around a year. Then, she'll get everything off for a year or so, and then she'll get a full set of braces to finish off things.

The Orthodontic Fun Begins!

Maria got her night brace today. They glued some 'rings' around her back molars, which has some holes that this contraption fits into. We have the next 5 weeks to work her up to wearing it 4 hours per day. Then she will start wearing it all night. She has a check-up in 6-weeks, at which time we'll find out when they will add 4 front braces to the mix. Right now she's kind of excited about it! No discomfort yet. Her only complaint so far has been the taste of the glue :)