Jacklyn's New Smile

I'm writing this post to let everyone know that Jacklyn got her permanent crown put on this afternoon. We've waited months for this to happen and today was the day! We've had three other appointments to do this and each time we've had to wait for her gums to heal more. Jacklyn has written on the calendar "permanent crown" with a big smiley face on each appointment date only to come home and write "it didn't happen" with a sad face. Today the smiley face prevailed! With this victory comes a mouth guard that will allow her to participate in PE, recess, tennis and all the other physical activities of an eleven year old girl. She will continue to have cosmetic work done to get the teeth looking just right, but the hard part seems to be behind us. It's hard to believe that her accident was on December 1st...just over eighteen weeks ago. She has been so brave through all the procedures and exams and I will always admire her for it. The other person I will always admire because of this experience is Jacklyn's dentist, Dr. Lowery. She wasn't our regular dentist, she was our friend's dentist. She made room for Jacklyn during her busy day and won us over immediately. She's been so gentle and kind. Whenever I'd leave the room during a procedure I'd return to find her holding Jacklyn's hand in my absence. She's a mother and she brings that part of herself to her practice. I can't even begin to say how much I've appreciated that. Jacklyn has trusted her completely through all of this and that has made all the difference. We know that there's a chance more painful procedures lie ahead, but with doctor Lowery by our side, we can get through it. Today, before we left, I asked if I could take her picture with Jacklyn for my blog and she was so excited to do so. After the picture, Jacklyn thanked her and gave her a hug as always. As Dr. Lowery was hugging Jacklyn she told her that she was now family to her. Thank you doctor Lowery!