Looking Back: Braces

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This is one in a series of posts that will look back at things that happened during the Fall 2010 semester when life got too busy to post.

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We knew that the day was coming when Maggie would get her braces. She had a baby molar that was fused to her jaw, and it was causing problems. At her last orthodontist evaluation he said it was time for that tooth to come out and to get braces underway.

In October we headed to her regular dentist for what was supposed to be a routine dental extraction. Oddly enough, Jerry was working from home that day. He asked me if I wanted him to go along on this adventure, and I told him that I was okay going by myself, but he should ask Maggie if she wanted him there. She said she did, so he came with us. Good thing he did, too! About 30 minutes after they took her back there the dentist's assistant came out and said that they couldn't get the tooth out! It was just stuck fast to her jaw. We went back to his office, and he explained that he had already taken off pieces of the tooth, so allowing Maggie's novocaine to wear off would be really painful for her. He got on the phone and, Praise the Lord, found an oral surgeon less than a block away that could see her right then! We got in the car and headed over there.

I was really glad Jerry had come with us - he could be there for Maggie, who was a bit teary and scared, while I filled out paperwork for the oral surgeon. He ended up being very kid-friendly and put Maggie at ease. They had a special tool that would loosen the tooth's grip on the jawbone, and they were able to get the tooth out (in two pieces!) without having to put her under. A week of ibuprofen later, she was good as new, and we made our appointment for the braces.

Maggie was all smiles the morning of the appointment, although she was a little nervous. She got a little teary getting into the chair, remembering what had happened at the dentist office a few weeks before. I made a hasty exit to the waiting room so the staff could do their work.


After about half an hour I checked on her, and they said she was doing great, and that I could come in and get some photos if I wanted.


When they finished, I asked Maggie to smile for a photo - here's her first attempt at smiling with braces!


But she quickly got the hang of it! We headed to Denny's for pancakes and scrambled eggs - a nice soft meal for freshly banded teeth! Somehow I think that may become a tradition. . .