“Noah has an amazing smile.”
It’s the most common statement about Noah. And he does. He smiles with his whole body. I’m pretty sure no one in the history of forever has put more into a smile than Noah has. And he uses that smile to communicate with the world. The wider the smile, the more excited he is.
Odds are, when you were around the awkward age of 12, the dentist sent you to an orthodontist. You had pimples, perhaps some big, thick glasses, and now a guy with a terrible sense of humor filled your mouth full of metal and sent you back to middle school saying, “have a great rest of your day!” Like that was going to happen.
A couple years of misery later, the world starts to look a little brighter. You get contacts, your mom finds you a good dermatologist, and your braces come off. Life isn’t perfect, but it has certainly improved.
At least that’s how it happened when I was a kid. These days they start earlier (man, my 4th grader has it easy). They start at an age when you can walk around your elementary school like a king showing off your new hardware. Except the hardware is clear, it doesn’t poke you, and you can take it out to eat.
Unless you have some type of disability. Then you can barely get a dentist with the patience to clean your teeth (until you find one that is part dentist- part angel). They certainly don’t see the benefit in sending you to an orthodontist. If you do go, the orthodontist looks at you like, “what’s the point?”
When we found our current dentist/angel, at the first appointment with her (this was probably 18 months ago), I spoke with her about what we could do for Noah’s teeth. I had been worrying over it for a while without any real idea that something could actually be done.
“They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but for Noah it’s his smile. No one in history needs straight teeth more than someone like him.” I told her.
The dentist/angel says, “I know a guy.”
Did you know that these days, they don’t have to take impressions of your teeth any more?!!! They now have a scanner that looks like a huge pen. And you don’t even have to sit still!! It takes a digital image. And there are even a few orthodontists out there who think special needs kids are worth the time and effort. We found one that saw the worth, and he fit Noah with Invisalign.
Thank goodness, because this guy is definitely worth it. And here’s the difference a year can make:
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