In the morning I will take this beautiful girl to the Orthodontist...
and she will come home with this Barbaric contraption in her mouth.
It's called a Herbst Appliance. If you've never heard of one, don't worry...neither had I. They tell me that it is a fairly new appliance. I am not sure I believe them though. Looks more like a medieval torture device than something I would want cemented into my beautiful girl's mouth to me.
In short, this is the new "head gear" of the Orthodontic world. You all remember headgear right?
Sorry folks but this is where I learned about headgear...and lots of other stuff I had no business
knowing at 12.
Speaking of Anthony Michael Hall...have you seen him lately? Dude is buff!
What were we talking about?
Oh yeah, Herbst.
This appliance is supposed to correct her overbite by positioning the bottom jaw forward and therefore training the bone to grow out.
To make matters worse, this sweet beautiful girl will also be getting braces...all in one horrible cemented swoop. We have been warned that this will not be pleasant by any means. She will have excessive drooling, difficulty talking, and aching in her jaw. And that's just the Herbst. Braces have their own set of pains to deal with. There is also the matter of those horrifying bolts on all four corners of the appliance. They can cause very painful sores if not properly covered with wax at all times. And even that is no guarantee we are told.
The worst part to me is the fact that her back teeth, used for chewing and grinding, will not meet up for a while. Which means she can only have soft foods. We all know how that is...tell us we can't have something and it will become the one thing we crave! I know this will be the frustrating part for her. It was for Tyler during the adjustment phase of his braces...and he only had braces. She also cannot have ice cream or anything that is extreme cold. It could crack the cement. This will be her lot in life for the next 18-24 months.
We are told that every child and every mouth is different and that only time will tell how well she will adjust. I don't do well with uncertainty. Especially when it comes to my children. It requires the one thing that does not come very easy for me...trust.
Faith...that God is who He says He is and that He will have my sweet girl in his arms the entire 2 hour visit and all the time she is adjusting afterward. That He will ease her pain and help her feel at peace with her limitations. It makes so much sense in my heart...I believe it there in the depths. But for some ridiculous reason I can't make my brain follow suit sometimes.
So often I think I am in control...(which is ultimately an issue of fear but that's a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother day) ...that I can keep them safe and free from pain. Then something like a Herbst appliance comes along and yanks my pretty little perfectly controlled rug out from under my feet and I am reminded that I am nothing. I can do nothing. I am only put here to point them to Him. Only He can protect them. Ease their pain. Bring them comfort. Calm their fears. Not me.
The funny, amazing, marvelous thing about my God is that the very thing He is sometimes asking of us...that thing that feels like it just might break us in two...stretching us to the limits of our human strength or capacity to comprehend...is the very thing that He uses to bring us to that place that brings us the most peace...pulls us closer to His side...grows us... a place of knowing that ultimately He is in control and that we do not have to be. A place where we loosen our grip and hands begin to let go...the place where He longs for us to just stay a while...surrender.
So even though it's late...and I'm deliriously rambling about Sixteen Candles and Anthony Michael Hall's steroid induced extreme makeover...I would love to know that just one of you even is saying a prayer for Maggie tomorrow. And maybe even one for me. I tend to get cranky when my kids are in pain and I feel helpless to comfort them. Don't ask why..I have no idea. Not something I'm proud of but just the same it's something I struggle with. I am already feeling apprehensive tonight. Trying really hard to just lay it down. So please pray that I would be given an inner strength and peace that I know I cannot pull off on my own. It is my desire to be a calm loving source of comfort and strength for her through this. Even when my "Oh you have a problem? Here let me fix it" button has been disabled.
I thank you in advance. This blog once started as a way to rattle off my mindless ramblings and keep family up to date...it has since grown into a sweet community of support that I am genuinely grateful for.
And if you actually made it to the end of this long winded late night rambling post, please know that you are in good company....with my mom.
"My every mortal breath, is Grace and nothing less"
