Once More unto the Braces Breach

Tomas and Daniela both underwent years of braces work. Now it’s MC’s turn. She actually had been looking forward to getting braces for the first while, mainly because she got to see her older siblings do it, and anything your older siblings are doing must (by definition) be cooler than whatever it is you’re doing. (Note: this only lasts for a certain amount of time. There comes a time when you no longer really judge how you’re doing by how your older siblings are doing. Or is that just me?)

As we came closer to the date of actually getting the braces put on, however, that enthusiasm began to dwindle. The thought of what they were actually going to be doing to her mouth overcame any cool factor, I suppose. Monday, she finally had her first visit. The braces went on, along with this Hyrax thing that slowly expands the roof of your mouth. I actually think this started as some sort of a torture device in the middle ages, but it turned out to have (some) beneficial aspects as well. Like penicillin, right? (I mean, they install this framework on your upper teeth, with a central hub on the roof of your mouth. And then each day, you turn a key and the framework expands. That sounds terrifying to me. But I’ve got a thing about dentists and teeth.)

Monday evening went about as expected. Her teeth were hurting a lot, and she realized she had two years and change of this in store. (I think? Denisa’s the Master of Braces in the household.) But she soldiered through, and things improved a bit the next day once her friends saw she had braces. (I’m not sure why. Friends help in many strange and unexpected ways in life.) Now, the biggest problems are relearning to talk with all that metal in her mouth, pain when the Hyrax has to be turned, and the inability to eat certain foods. (Getting braces right before Halloween is, admittedly, a bummer.)

Denisa and I are just looking forward to the day when the braces saga is over. Granted, this is a much bigger lift for Denisa than for me, as she’s usually been the one to take the kids to the appointments. But braces are also expensive, and it’ll be nice at some point to not have to pay those monthly bills anymore. (Kids are expensive, people. But braces are a worthwhile expense, in my book.)