Brace face

Today G got her braces on. Oh boy - let me tell you, this week has been one big crying fest at my house. I thought that she was finally okay with getting them but as the day drew nearer, her fears started coming out. By this morning my frustration and patience with her finally turned to heart break. My girl was very near to experiencing a full blown panic attack! Besides a stomach ache and feeling nauseous, she ended up with diarrhea and feeling like she had a weight on her chest to where she couldn't breath. No hyperventilating but I did tell her to practice her deep breathing (Lamaze technique breathing I taught her when she was potty training and having issues going #2). In the end, she discovered that mom was right and that it wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be. I took her to the Chinese Buffet afterwards but she didn't eat much. She really had a hard time figuring out how to get the lo mein noodles in her mouth. It was a site to behold but we had some good laughs over it. She's going to have to get used to brushing her teeth after every meal. Flossing is going to be a big chore. I know they say it's very important but I don't think I'm going to push it on G unless she gets food in between her teeth. If I survived 8 years of braces without regular flossing, I think she will too. One thing they gave us was some flouride treatment mouthwash. They said she should gargle with it every night before bed. Yet again, it wasn't a requirement when I had braces and my teeth turned out fine. I think the flouride treatment she gets once a year at the dentist office is enough. With all the negative info out there about flouride being toxic, it just makes me uncomfortable and I don't think I'm going to have her do it. Besides that, they gave her a cherry-flavored bottle and she can't stand anything other than mint. She was never one to take liquid medicine when she was a baby/toddler. It was always a big kicking and screaming fight. She didn't even like the chewables. I was so glad when she finally learned how to swallow a pill. Thank you Grandma Sandy for that one! Anyway, enough rambling. When I get a chance I'll take a picture of her with her new "grill" and post it.