Last spring after a routine cleaning, the dentist recommended we take Colin to an orthodontist out of concern for a terrible underbite he had. Colin's teeth started falling out late and are VERY late to grow in the adult teeth so we were aware that this was probably going to be an issue. He recommended a specific orthodontist that he thought would be a great fit for Colin and so off we went.
At the initial visit, Colin handled all of the imaging and evaluations like a pro, but there was very little that actually went into his mouth at that time. He recommended that Colin get braces on the top row of teeth as soon as possible because the underbite was damaging to the adult top tooth that had already grown in (the bottom teeth were biting into the top adult tooth every time he chewed). We decided on a date over spring break and showed up for the appointment to get his braces on. Colin started off really well but in order to get the braces on, he needed some gauze in his mouth, the usage of equipment, etc. and I think he started to get really overwhelmed at all that was happening at the same time.
He started to have a little bit of a meltdown. We were all worried and after some thought, the doctor and his wife asked if we would be ok to come back at the end of the day when the office was closing; there would be only staff left and they would give Colin the time that he needed to process everything. We left and started talking about it as much as we could and practicing with whatever we could find that resembled tools like the doctor's tools. We were even practicing at the beach!
We showed back up to the appointment at the end of the day armed with a movie on my phone and what we hoped would be sufficient practice for the actual appointment. I think there were many factors that contributed to the success of that visit; a quiet office, a VERY patient doctor and assistant, Mama Mia streaming on my phone, supportive siblings, and a doctor that modified when possible and worked as fast as humanly possible.
The braces were put on successfully and Colin was proud of himself. However, the days that followed were really tough as he got a HUUUUGGE blister on the inside of one of his cheeks (and would NOT put any wax or medication in his mouth) and he swelled up.
He was miserable and acted similar to being sick. We felt TERRIBLE and it was made worse because there was nothing we could do to make him feel better. We FINALLY got him to do some basic salt water rinses and the things started to turn around. Once we got past the initial swelling, things started to improve and then it was almost like he didn't have them at all. He's been really great about brushing and doing rinses (he does one specifically for braces at night and then just Listerine in the morning) and after many follow up visits, his tooth is where it needs to be. What we are working on now is making space for other adult teeth to come down (which are taking a REALLY long time to do so). We know that this is a "temporary" set to fix some issues and then a full set will come later once all of the teeth are in. We are SO incredibly lucky to have found such a patient, accommodating, and awesome doctor!
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