Bracing for the Future

Teeth. Who knew that they could cost so much and have such an impact on the quality of life. I always thought that orthodontists were for the vain and the pretties. I've reconsidered that thought and now realize that they are doing a lot more for long-term dental health then yearly visits to the dentist. In our case, the investment now will last a lifetime on the wear and tear of the teeth, avoid the need for grueling medical intervention, and lend itself to a healthy self-image.

But oh...the financial fun, of not only having one in orthodontia treatment...but five. We've been learning a lot about DNA and how it's not always favorably combined. Apparently, when it comes to our teeth--most of what we get as far as positioning, tooth shape, jaw size...is all inherited. You'd think that the master organizer of our DNA would put Mom's whole jaw on one kid--and not just part of it. Or all of Dad's sized teeth in another kid. But NO. For example, Ashley and Jessica have smaller upper jaws than lower jaws, causing severe bite and alignment issues. And we've had two of the five kids with teeth that aren't all the same sized. Yep. DNA WINNERS!! And as the orthodontist nicely put it--it's all in the genes; just Mom's uppper jaw and Dad's lower jaw should never have been put together. And for some reason--they were and it's the perfect concoction for oral nightmares!

Cute little Braden has, what I thought, a pretty nice set of teeth. Except his bite is off-center and going to be a painful problem in the future if not adjusted now. He also has soft enamel...but that's a different hereditary problem. I was thinking we'd get lucky with him and not have to put him in braces, unlike his siblings. But just out of curiosity, and because it was free of charge, he had an ortho evaluation last year. Well...things are not always as it seems. We had to have some extractions done immediately so that his permanent front teeth wouldn't buckle and come in behind each other.

After the follow-up this year, we have a better perspective on what's coming. His whole bite is off almost a 1/4" on the top, with the bottom being stationary. Yep. Straight but slanted. His top canines are looking to erupt over his already placed permanent front teeth.

"Straight-ish" for now...but going to be a mess in a couple of years. Yea! (NOT). So he's slated for braces when we can afford it after cleaning up a more pressing mess.

Guess who's lovelies these are.......

Yep...Miss Cross-bite, Under-bite--and overall a young Miss Messy Mouth. She needs to have her upper jaw widened to match lower jaw and get the top teeth aligned, so that they don't sit inside the lower teeth. [Oh my goodness! Can you imagine what she'd look like as an adult if untreated?! Yep! Thank goodness for dental ingenuity.]

Dr Paxton wanted to put braces on her top teeth this February. But when we went for the molding appointment, she decided that the teeth they were going to bracket weren't far enough through the gums for the space they needed to bond to. So they put her in a retainer to start pushing those front teeth forward until June. Then they will put her in stage one braces, using her baby eye teeth as positioning posts for the fronts. When they are lined up--extraction time. Eeks. At least there's a game plan!

She may be the only 1st grader in braces...but they are working with her jaw as it is growing so that later we aren't one of those extreme cases as a teenager that has to go through jaw surgery and be in braces for 5 years straight. Because she's only 7--there will be at least two treatment plans, if not three, before she's done. Hmmm. That sounds familiar.

Maybe because Mr C had braces for a year, has been in a retainer for 2 years...and has finally lost all his baby teeth and is now ready to go back into braces for a couple more years--starting in June or July, as well.

Nathan has more to keep up with than just his hips! He has another year to go in braces. Orthopedically and orthodontically-speaking--he's making HUGE progress! Ashley refused to open her silver fountain for me. Her original treatment plan with the braces was 24 months. We are well into month 27 and have appointments made through June. (This is quickly turning into a 3 year stint in braces....) She had them partially removed several weeks back to have one of her front teeth bonded to the correct size. She's in a holding pattern until she's reached an acceptable alignment. Got to wear those rubberbands! At least they are paid for. We are paying on Nathan and Jessica right now and will then flip to Braden and Cameron. [I told the orthodontist that I hoped he enjoyed the cabin by the lake, because we'll be lining his pockets to pay for it for a very long time.]

At least we have one that won't need to see Ellingsen, Paxton, and Johnson Orthodontics. A micro-chip is her lone piece of metal. Check out her woofers and teethers though. We just have to remind Jessica (all the time), to keep her retainer in her mouth--away from the dog. We don't want the same problem we had with Ashley--having to replace the retainer three times. No napkins, no pockets, and NO puppies.