Say Cheese!

(Shortly before braces)

Kylee has done so well with everything orthodontic from the beginning...well, not the very beginning but since she's really gotten to know Dr. Casavantes. He is amazing! And he says Kylee is the bravest patient is has. I keep telling him we don't know that child, but he can't believe us. He says when he tells her to open, she opens, while some of his other patients hesitate, ask a bunch of questions, anything to keep from doing what he asks. He says Kylee has NEVER done that to him.

We first started seeing him when Kylee was 8 to correct her underbite. Our first visit was just to take x-rays. She bawled...you know, like the Kylee we know. He stopped the x-ray, and brought her out. He said, "Am I hurting you?" She said, "No, but I'm scared." He said, "I need you to quit crying if I am not hurting you because there will be times I will hurt you. And if you're crying when I know I'm not hurting you, I won't believe you when I really am hurting you. Then I'll just keep doing what I'm doing because I don' t believe you." Kylee said, "Yes, sir." And that was that. After the x-rays, he told her we were putting braces on. She cried and said, "I don't want to." Dr. Casavantes said, "Ok, I won't. I'll wait until you're in high school running for homecoming queen or in a dance competition. Then I'll break your jaw and wire your mouth shut. Because if I don't correct this now, that's what I'll have to do."

I guess he gained her respect and confidence. When we went for him to put her braces on, we had no problem. No tears, no hesitations, nothing. She just went back, had them put on, and came back out...all smiles. From that point forward, she'd march back to the back all smiles and come back out all smiles. Several times he mentioned how brave she was and how proud he was of her. We were all pretty shocked. She's such a chicken!

Then when he added her rubberbands, I asked if he was going to show me how to change them. After all, she was only 8. He said to me, "You're not wearing them. She is, and I showed her how." She was so proud of herself! Quite frankly, I'm pretty proud of her as well, even if it is totally out of character for her.

She had the first (yes, first) set of braces on from July of '07 to March of '09. This is the day they came off.

Then she went into two clear plastic retainers, one for the top and one for the bottom. They were $150 a piece. I told her if she lost them, I was not replacing them, that she could just get the cheaper ones that are attatched to silver wires that you can see.

For 13 months, she did such an excellent job of keeping up with them. No mother could ask for more from a 10-year old, really. She was so aware of where they were, when she wore them, everything Dr. Casavantes said. At her birthday party a couple of weeks ago, she was swimming,and one of them popped out. She found the clear plastic in the swimming pool! I then told her to give them to me so she wouldn't lose them in the pool.

Y'all, I left them laying on that pool table and walked away. I lost them. My 10-year old (now 11, but most of it she was 10) kept up with them for 13 months, and I lost them in half a second! Yes, I did. She panicked! She did NOT want the wire ones. I assured her that I lost them, and I was so proud of her for keeping up with them so long, and I would replace them.

When I called Dr. Casavantes (who Kylee calls Dr. Catavantes, btw), he said to bring her in and let him look at her. He then explained we were ready for the next phase of treatment. Which means all of her adult teeth are in, and it is time to put the braces back on...for 36 months! I thought Kylee would be devastated. She said, "Well, can you do it today?" I'm a proud Mama, y'all!

May the 12th, her braces will go back on, and she will have a beautiful, full smile before she starts high school. Wish us luck!