Tinsel Teeth

Well, this post is long overdue. But since this blog is basically my journal, I thought I'd better post about this important event in Alex's life. A month ago today, Alex joined the ranks of tinsel teeth everywhere. He was actually very excited to get braces, and he will have them on for about a year. The kids at school thought he looked "cool", so he hasn't complained even one ounce about having them on. Oh, what a little positive peer pressure can do, eh? I think he looks pretty cute with them on, and the transformation in his teeth has been amazing!

He still has the expander in the roof of his mouth, but he will be able to get that off in February or March. We can't wait for that day--it is still so hard for him to eat! His top back teeth are covered in plastic to hold the expander in place, so he can't chew his food very thoroughly. Also, food gets stuck in his expander, so he tries to "hurl" the food out of it by making a sound comparable to coughing up mucous in the back of your throat. Let me tell you, it makes for great dinnertime sound effects! I asked him if he does that at school during lunch, and he told me that he does--poor kids at his table! He says that they don't say anything, so I hope it's not as bad as it is sometimes at home! I can relate, though, because I used to do the same thing when I had my expander in. It is really annoying to have something stuck up there in the roof of your mouth. Just imagine the feeling of eating white bread and a chunk gets stuck in the roof of your mouth and it's hard to get down. You would probably feel like "hurling" too!