No More Ortho Visits!

The picture of Austin below is so bittersweet when I look at it. For starters, it was taken 2 years ago. He has changed and grown up so much in these past 2 years. His face is more chiseled like that of a young man instead of a boy. His glasses are different, and she shaves now. But the biggest difference....his teeth.

This poor kid was born with such bad teeth. His first two teeth came in crooked and we knew right then, this was going to be a long journey. It never bothered him much until he got to junior high, and we were noticing that he rarely smiled. He was shy anyhow, but feeling self-conscious about his teeth just seemed to exaggerate that even more.

The time came that our dentist said he was ready for braces...which presented another problem - Austin hates dentists. Well, not really so much dentists, but dental procedures. He has an extremely sensitive gag reflux and really suffers trying to do things like x-rays or flouride treatments. The assistants at the office we go to have worked with Austin since he was 3 and they know how bad it is and have learned the best ways to help him through procedures, but he was afraid of going somewhere else.

Thankfully our dentist also does orthodontic work, unless it's too reconstructive or involved. He was concerned that Austin's might be more than he could work with, but knowing Austin's case and issues, he wanted to give it a try...which is why I LOVE this dentist!

Well here we are two years later. The braces were put on, and after an inital painful 2 weeks, Austin has done well with them. Dr. P was even able to save a tooth that he thought might have to come out.

And at 2:20 this afternoon, the braces finally come off, and we will get to see Austin's beautiful new smile. While I know how excited I am, I know that he is super excited!

Here's the picture I took of Austin on the day we went to get his braces put on:



I'll be sure to add his "after" photo on here when we get back. Can't wait!