There were a few things that had to happen before Libby leaves the country for six months.  Removing braces was one of them.

When Libby was very young we knew that there would be challenges with her teeth. And even though we were made aware of this we had no idea what she would have to endure.

The journey began in preschool with a surgery perform root canals and to remove some teeth. The trips to the orthodontist started in grade school when she was eight years old. There were years of being monitored before the procedures began.

Spacers and wideners and chains, to adjust the jaw size and to encourage the teeth to emerge. The first set of braces, during middle school, straightened the teeth. And then there was a glorious few months in grade nine with no braces (only a retainer).

The braces went back on in grade ten and she was told she would need surgery to enlarge the lower jaw. But before that she would need to stop growing and the teeth would have to be moved and straitened. After five more years with braces that surgery finally happened. Double jaw surgery on July 9, 2018.

And then a summer of recovery!

Today that journey is almost complete and finally, the final set of braces are off.