Got braces?

So this year Emma has delved into the world of braces and palate expanders. She got her palate expander first and bottom bumper. As we cranked it twice and day for 2 weeks we quickly noticed it was doing its job. The two front teeth have separated greatly moving her upper palate forward to correct the underbite she had developed. First problem corrected, we moved on to the second. Being her canines were coming in at her front teeth and not down where her canines should even be. Problem with  that can be nerve damage to the permanent teeth she already has. So to fix this she had to have oral surgery to remove the baby canine teeth she still had and open the gum area to expose her permanent canines. Attach a button to those teeth under the gum with a chain which would attach to her palate expander. Thusly allowing the orthodontist to pull on those teeth and guide them into proper position. Whew! What an ordeal. And you wonder why I went back to work?  Insert answer here. Anyway, she is a trooper. Oral surgery went great but was much more complex than I had imaged it would be. A mouth full of stitches and 2 weeks of healing. But through it all she never slowed down. She is a tough cookie who rarely complains and smiles all the time. My angel girl. In the end her gorgeous smile will just be accented by her beautiful teeth. 

Poor thing looked like she'd been beat up the day after surgery. We called her Cindy Lou who. Her face was so swollen.  Braces are the next step once we get the canines in place then they can starting pulling those teeth together and close the gAp created by the palate expander. Keep on smiling pretty girl!