Sarah was surprisingly willing to be photographed wearing her latest accesory - a "functional appliance" type of brace (though she requested I photograph only her mouth - typical!). She has a medium large overbite and these will help correct that. Children's orthodontia in the UK is covered under the NHS if their particular issue is high enough up on the scale - Sarah's overbite is big enough to make it under the NHS (otherwise, we'd not be going down this route - not yet, anyway). The brace is a funny appliance - it's like two retainers with big plastic blocks on them. The blocks sit in such a way that you can't close your mouth unless the bottom jaw is brought forward a bit - basically, what it does is train the jaw, over time, to come forward and thereby corrects the bite. She's very tolerant of the appliance and the whole wearing braces thing, which makes me very proud of her - a grownup attitude. Of course, she was involved in the decision - we wouldn't have forced her to wear them! Better now than later, when she is interested in boys and self-conscious about her looks...
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