That was then....This is now....

This was what Tanner's mouth and teeth looked like before she got her braces in December.

Here is what her teeth look like tonight.

By time this is all said and done (which will hopefully be in Jan/Feb of 2010), we will have spent close to $12,000 on my girl's mouth. Though that's a HUGE amount of money....I think every penny of it is worth it!

She just got her final, SureSmile wire, put on last Thursday. She also got the red and blue power chains. She got to choose the color of the chains, so she chose red and blue to match my niece, Emma....and of course because of the KU Jayhawks! :) The power chains will help pull the teeth together and once they come together they will "fit like a zipper."

What you can't see are the two screws-one on each side-located on the inside of her upper jaw. The screws are anchored to her upper brackets and hopefully when the screws and brackets are removed, her jaw will stay in place permanently.

I have to brag on my girl and say that rarely has she complained about any of this. She has done so well and has been such a trooper. She is finally seeing the end of the tunnel and is so proud of what her teeth look like. That right there makes it all worth it to me.

I can't wait until she gets them off and am able to post a final "That was then...This is now" post!