Operation Brace Face: The Final Mission

These last few months have FLOWN by! 

I always say that the older I get the quicker it goes and these last few months REALLY has proven my point! 

Now if you ask the kids they would TOTALLY disagree because we ALL know Mom's have no idea what they are talking about :)

After our last check in here with you guys on Operation Brace Face (which was in JANUARY!) we were in hopes that the appointment in March would bring us good news....

THANK the LORD it did! 

Everything was looking good and with a quick swap of colors and a few new packs of rubber bands we were out the door with not one but TWO appointments to wrap u the mission and get these jokers out! 

On May 4th Dakota got to go in and have an impression made of her now straightened smile and got to pick out the color and design for her retainer! 

They now do a permanent retainer on the bottom so it was a face and easy choice for her when they gave her the HUGE selection of design ideas! 

On May 26th (the day after school let out) we made a mad dash to the orthodontist in excitement to get them removed after 38 months of them on! 

I took the other two girls and they were SUPER excited for Dakota and they talked non stop of EVERYTHING she could eat again!

Here is the appointment recap in pictures :)

Here are some throwbacks for you from Operation Brace Face!

Operation Brace Face: Phase.... UMMM...

Yesterday we checked in on operation brace face...

I couldn't believe when they said she has been in braces for a whooping 34 month! 

I thought D was exaggerating when she said 3 years and well no she wasn't... jeesh! 

Last time we checked in I caught you all up on the phases that we have missed over time...

Before

 

 

 

After

 

Yesterday's appointment was seriously super quick and just checking in on how things were lining up. She has a few gaps in teeth that I am having a MAJOR fit over seeing that we are towards the end of all this and they are still there plus we have paid WAY to much money for results like this but they are reassuring me that they will all be gone VERY soon and these bad boys will be off before we know it! 

They chained her top brackets to do just that and I am SUPER excited she got to pick a color again! 

There for a while she was grounded from color choice due to lack of her brushing skills but we are in hopes that those days are behind us and she will get it together so these things can be off her face sooner rather than later... I mean we have already DOUBLED our treatment plan time and I am sure they are ready to get her finished as much as I am ready to see her mouth without the metal accessories. 

We are to go back in March to see where things are lining up and how the gaps are doing in this time of moving into place! I hope that the next appointment they one they schedule is for removal! 

Here's to crossing fingers, toes and maybe eyes!

Stay tuned!

Metal Mouth Madness: Checking in Round One

It is so hard to believe that today we had our first check up on Alora since getting her braces!

If you missed the post about that you can read and catch up on that here. 

As always I took a before the appointment pic...

You would think that they would be used to this... ugh...

The appointment went well and she is already moved up to a stronger wire... yay!

We are in hopes that the last few adult teeth that she needs to come in will honor us with their presence before her next appointment in March so we do not get behind on her progress. 

She was super excited she did not require the spring spacers again this time and that her appointment was super quick and she could make it back to school in time for choir class.

Along with the adult teeth coming in between now and March we are hoping they can finish adding all her brackets then and we again advance to another wire level. I know she is ready to see a difference and though she just got them on she is ready to beat her sisters time as a brace face...

In the mean time she was reminded about brushing skills and angling that toothbrush head to get around those brackets :)

YAY for a great visit and a new wire!

See you all in March with Checking in Round Two!

Operation Brace Face: Phase Catch Up

So yesterday I shared with you all the start of Alora's Metal Mouth Madness journey as she got the most AMAZING Halloween gift trick ever!

(as a parent sometimes you have to create your own entertainment)

In the blog post I shared that Alora is not my only kiddo taking the journey in the brace face club as my oldest daughter Dakota has been on the same journey in Operation Brace Face. 

Apparently my journalism skills for this journey sucked MAJOR ASS!

When we left you we were on Operation Brace Face: Phase 10... 

BACK on JULY 1st... 2014 !

Way to go mommy...

SMH...

Anyways... 

Let's a game I like to call...

CATCH UP

Phase One

The journey first began on March 5, 2013

Phase Two

Our Phase Two of the journey was on March 11, 2013

 Phase Three

Back on March 26th, 2013 we shared our third phase

Phase Four

April 17, 2013 we shared the fourth phase

Phase Five and Phase Six

 July 2013 we were in our fifth and sixth phase of the Operation Brace Face journey

Phase Seven

As we went into the new year of 2014 we also were headed into our seventh phase

Phase Eight

February of 2014 we were stretching into the eighth phase 

Phase Nine

We reached our half way point back in April 2014

Phase Ten

Our last phase on the old blog was OVER a YEAR ago on 

July 1, 2014

Apparently when you go from being a full time stay at home mom for three years then throw in going back to work full time OVERNIGHT and moving into the mix you suddenly become a different non organized person!

Also within this time my phone dumped EVERYTHING and I lost all my pictures and more.  

So here is what you have missed 

(as best as I can remember)
There for about a 6 month period were just waiting around to see what her K9 teeth were going to do. For several appointments they threatened laser oral surgery and had hoped that her teeth would move down and into place on their own accord.
Since Dakota IS MY child this of course did not happen and we got set for surgery...

Though the day of surgery Dakota was put into a private room and due to the laser involved I was unable to be in the room with her I could still smell her burning flesh through the door frame. THIS IS NOT a smell any parent wants to experience.
She took it like a champ and sported her burned gums with pride and amazement.
I felt sick looking at them and shook my head the way she handled it.
During the time of her treatment she has broken 3 brackets, two of which happened while she was away this summer at her biological dad's in Alabama.
We were able to get her back on track and get them re-bonded about the same time she started to complain she was over being in the brace face club!
She is well over her allotted treatment plans thanks to the slow K9's, broken brackets and a summer away from home.
The last appointment we went to the orthodontist told her that she would be getting rubber bands and IF she wore them like she was supposed to she could be brace free in 2 months...
Well needless to say at the appointment last week that WON'T be happening...
As a matter of fact she received a third rubber band to wear at night that goes clear across her mouth...  

We go back in three weeks for a check up and are in HIGH hopes that the appointment we set this month will be the appointment that she can finally see her 7 thousand dollar smile!

Stay tuned!

Metal Mouth Madness: It Begins

Last week was a busy one for us when it comes to the girls between red ribbon week at school, ending the first 9 weeks, appointments and more.

(I will be catching you all up on these this week right here so stay tuned!) 

This last week also began Alora's journey to braces! 

So welcome to Metal Mouth Madness!

You can join us and follow Alora's journey from the beginning to the end right here!

We have spent several years working on preventive measures for her from pulling out baby teeth to watching where her teeth were going to plan on growing in and more. We knew she would have to get them and after several failed attempts, due to paperwork issues, she got them bad boys on finally Wednesday!

Thanks to Westrock Orthodontist in Bryant for all their hard work and patience!

Needless to say when she figured out that Halloween was this last weekend too she was not so very thrilled but she didn't do a whole lot of complaining either.

This appointment consisted of placing on her brackets, springs and wires.

We will go back in January to see where things are going at this point, and since they have swappped to a new type of bracket they now make the kids earn their colors by showing that they can brush and take care of them like they are supposed too.
She is to have them on for about 2 years or so and me and her are hoping for less! 

Alora received a t-shirt and a purple water bottle filled with all sorts of goodies to help her with her braces including wax, a timer, floss, floss picks, and more!
She is super excited and now she also talks super funny...
Sorry Lo but it's true ;)

Since Alora is the Middle child she is not the first of mine to under go an orthodontic treatment. Dakota my oldest is at the last stretch on her journey in Operation Brace Face and in the old blog I shared her journey also. I will be finding all of her link to her journey, catch you up on where she is today with her treatment and continue her's here on this blog.

I do have to say that Dakota and Alora has always shared a special bond since they are so close on so many levels but it warmed my heart when they decided to classify them self's as brace buddies after the appointment... so maybe teens arent all THAT bad... ;)

Do you have a brace face, metal mouth kiddo? If so I would love to hear about your journey also!