Last week was an exciting time around the Moscato household. The Teen – who finally lost all of her baby teeth and all of her permanents completely grew in – was cleared by the dentist to get braces. She has been wanting them for a while and it was an exciting “rite of passage” to have her finally get them put on.
Since Mike and I both used Dr Shehee when we were kids, there was no question who we would go to to give her the perfect smile. Mike and I both are constantly complimented on how perfect our teeth are – and laugh at our “pre-braces” pictures from our childhood.
We easily made an appointment for a consult – which is free by the way – and were happy to find out she could get braces immediately. Both Mike and I had to begin with retainers back in the day. We made an appointment for the following week to have them put on.
Many people don’t know that some insurance actually covers braces, but even without insurance, Dr Shehee offers great plans for paying for your braces. And they arent as expensive as you might think. Dr Shehee also specializes in Invisalign which I was surprised to find out is actually the same cost as traditional braces. I would have thought the Invisalign would be a lot more!
The Teen was so anxious the day of “installation” but Amy – the dental technician – and both Dr Shehee and Dr Callahan were terrific in putting her at ease. We went to the main office in Pensacola to have them put on, but Dr Shehee actually does appointments in Milton, Pace, Cantonment, Gulf Breeze and Navarre.
The process was actually pretty easy. Little “brackets” are put on each tooth and cemented on with a light. Then a wire is run between the brackets and secured with tiny little twisties and finished off with itty bitty colored rubber bands. Sami loved that she got to pick the color of her bands and naturally went with pink “for her sister”…. rrriiiggghhhttt.
After the braces are put on, the kids get to help themselves to slushies – a machine is built right into the wall!! Since the large wire of the braces is temperature sensitive, the coldness of the slushies help them get used to the new feeling of stuff in their mouth. They also watch a video on proper caring of their braces – how to correctly brush and floss and also go over yet again the things they should not eat while wearing braces.
The next morning Sami woke up a little sore, but said it was like her teeth felt “loose” more than them actually hurting. She enjoyed eating “soft stuff” for the first few days – applesauce, pudding, yogurt, etc – but by the end of the week she was eating pizza and normal food. Everyone compliments her on her braces and her friends now want them too. She of course is telling everyone to go to Dr Shehee.
She will have braces for 14-16 months and I will update periodically to show you the progress. We are all so excited to see how she looks with her perfect smile.
If you are anywhere near Northwest Florida and you or your kids need any kind of orthodontic work – we highly recommend Dr Shehee. Everyone there is so wonderful and their great work is evident by the hundreds of perfect smiles that come out of their offices each year. You can schedule a free First Visit to get xrays and talk about all of the options for getting a perfect smile.
Did you have braces when you were growing up?
Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post – just sharing my love for the best orthodontist in town.
I didn’t know invisalign is the same cost as traditional braces! My sister is considering getting braces too so I’ll have to let her know. I never had braces even though the dentist recommended that I get some. I happen to like my crooked teeth.
Thank goodness for braces! My mouth was a complete and utter mess, I had them for 3 1/2 years. She looks so adorable in her braces and it’s great that she’s feeling confident. I love that your orthodontist office has a slushie machine built into the wall, how cool is that?!
I had braces when I was a child, but sadly, as my wisdom teeth came through late, they moved my teeth out of line.
I am very self conscious of my teeth, especially my lowers now, so I am currently consulting a local orthodontist to have braces re-fitted – just plucking up the courage to tell Hubby about the bill
WOW – things have definitely improved since I had my braces, back in the dark ages! I had them on for eight years – and I ate everything (there were no rules back then!). I think several of our children will eventually have braces – I wish we lived closer to you!
Whoa, I always thought that Invisalign was more expensive than regular braces. Good to know, because my daughter needs braces and we’re looking to get them next year!