Braces for Nathaniel

When Nathaniel got his braces, I had no idea that people were going to want to see pictures. I mean, more pictures than just, like, one I might randomly post at some point.

Of course I had taken some for his scrapbook, though, so when I got some Tweets and a couple of emails asking about it, I decided to share.

Here's the "before," taken on the sidewalk outside the orthodontist's office right before his appointment:

I don't remember with crystal clarity the day I got my braces put on, but I'm pretty sure I didn't have THIS big contraption put in my mouth.

Pretty sure I'd remember that. Looked pretty darn uncomfortable, but he didn't complain.

All the prep work took WAY longer than putting the brackets and wires on. She prepped him for over an hour, and the brackets and wires took maybe 15 minutes.

When he was finally finished, I don't think he could believe it! He was relieved that it hadn't hurt, and most of his concern came from not being able to eat 100 percent of the candy he was going to receive the next night while trick-or-treating.

Since he can get the little bands that wrap around the brackets changed at each office visit, he opted for alternating black and orange ones in honor of Halloween.

Here's a better shot of those, as well as what a hot mess his teeth are at the moment. In another 14 months or so, though, it will be an entirely different story!

I wore braces for four years, 9th through 12th grades, and I had two rounds of oral surgery. We're trying this early with Nathaniel in the hopes that he won't have to wear braces in high school and that we can catch a couple of issues early, preventing the need for the same surgery that I needed (we already see it as a possibility).

Did any of you wear braces, and for how long?