When Dani came to our home as a foster child over three years ago, she noticed that one of the older children had braces. Eventually, he had his taken off revealing a perfectly aligned smile. A few months later, the next child had his braces put on his teeth. Two years later, his braces came off revealing his beautiful and perfect smile. The whole time, Dani dreamed of having braces on her teeth so she could have a smile like theirs. At one point, she nearly returned to her birth family, which would have made her dream of braces impossible because of the cost. In our state, you can barely find a dentist to do a filling for what Medicaid pays, braces are not an option without private insurance plus cash. Dani knew that our insurance wouldn’t pay for part of her braces until she was legally adopted. That was one of the reasons she was angry about it taking nearly three years to be adopted.

Finally, we were able to adopt Dani on National Adoption Day in November. That long wait is now a distant memory. Today was an exciting day for our 10-year-old daughter. She went to the orthodontist for her measurements, x-rays, and molds of her upper and lower mouth. She didn’t even gag when they put that nasty paste in her mouth that is spread nearly an inch deep on a teeth-shaped device that resembles a shoehorn. The shoehorn device barely fits in your mouth and they stretch your lips over it and then leave it in for a full minute. During that time, the excess paste goes towards the back of your throat. I know because I had braces as a child and she is our fifth child to get braces. I think she is the first one to make it through the top and bottom molds without a single gag. Perhaps that is because she has dreamed of this day for so long.

The x-rays are done standing up. They put your head in a device that holds it perfectly still and then place the lead protection bib over you. It rather resembles an ancient torture machine. Here she is in the photo getting her panoramic x-rays of her mouth. When they make the appointment, they tell you that you are coming in for “records.” That sounds a lot nicer, doesn’t it?

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2008