Braces Be Gone!!

Today was a BIG day for Emily. She has been counting down to this day for a long time. Today her braces were removed!! Emily has worn braces for 22 months, and she was so excited about having them removed.

This is Emily on the day her braces were put on in 2006:

Once her braces were removed, the tech installed a permanent retainer on her lower teeth, and made a mold for her top retainer (which will only be worn when sleeping). We'll pick up the top retainer next week.

The dental staff presented Emily with balloons and a large cup filled with sticky, chewy candy (the kind that was on the "no-no" list during braces). Emily also decided to spend all of her nickels (wooden tokens) today. She has been saving these little tokens since her braces were installed, but she had never spent any, so today was the day. She "bought" a CD stereo, two $10 movie booklets, and a $10 Claire's gift card.

I love Emily's "post-braces" smile!! :-)