Since I can't seem to prevent Trace from getting older, I decided to face facts and take him to an orthodontist to see what future plans we may have for this little one and his teeth. I just so happen to have an assistant at work whose brother-in-law is an orthodontist by trade, and so we made an appointment. When we met "the good doctor" Ghiz, I told him I knew Kim and he was happy to make the connection. "Oh! You're THAT Kristi!" I wasn't sure if I should admit to it or not. Haha! Anyway, he took one look at my poor boys face and said; "Yep, braces are in your future kiddo". Through the process, we learned that instead of just pulling teeth that don't fit in your mouth like they used to do when Kevin and I were kids, they now expand the pallet of the mouth and make room for those crowed teeth to fit. Super crazy I thought. So, it was decided that Trace would have traditional braces and an "expander" put in on the top of his mouth and as his parents, we had the super fun job of inserting a little tool into the top of the apparatus and turning the screw to enlarge the metal part that forced the roof of his mouth to expand. Sounded like a form of torture to me, but I had seen them on my older nieces and nephews, so I guess it's worked before. Then, after the tooth that was sideways had room to fit in, they'd keep the upper braces on for a bit longer and remove the expander. Then, he's to get the braces off entirely and wait a few years until he gets an entire set of braces on upper and lower teeth to straighten them nicely and make him even cuter than before.
When the expander was put in, it was a little traumatic, but Trace endured like a champ! He tensed up a few times in the chair, but relaxed when the part that made him nervous was over. He listened intently as the hygienist told him what foods he can and can not eat. He sat down with me as they discussed the payment plan and Dr. Ghiz was nice enough to give us a $500 discount. Later that week when I brought Trace into my office for something, Kim asked him if he liked Dr. Ghiz and Trace replied; "Yeah, he was so nice and he saved my Mom $500!" That got him some laughs for sure! The first time I tried to adjust the screw on the top of his mouth, I slipped when putting pressure on the metal and ended up scraping the roof of his mouth and making him bleed. After he AND I finished crying about the event, we decided that Daddy was the official adjuster of the expander and I was relieved of my duties. He's been so good about what he can't eat and has even reminded me when I mistakenly offer him something that is not "on the list". Such a good boy! I'm so proud of him taking on this scary, new treatment that he certainly didn't ask for with such calmness and maturity.
The next day was another day of "spirit week" at school and he decided to dress in full western gear. When he arrived at school, his teacher, Ms. Stroud, said his "train tracks" looked super cool! He's one of only two kids in the class to have braces, and I thought it was neat that Ms. Stroud drew attention to them and made him feel special.
