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.

BIG Changes for our Big Guy

(Before)
Today was a big day for Nathan. After some deliberation about his teeth and how to make them all fit in his mouth without major consequences later--it was determined that he needed some orthodontic intervention. His eye teeth were set to sit behind his bottom teeth and grow towards his tongue. In layman's terms--NOT so good in the handsome smile department. The long-term results would mean major gum recession and costly grafts later if we didn't stop the abnormal positioning. Nathan wasn't exactly thrilled with the diagnosis, but he's pretty easy going about the challenges that come his way.

(After)
The big day arrived today when he got the top braces put on at Ellingsen, Paxton and Johnson Orthodontics. They are going to have to adjust the torque in his top teeth first to make room for the braces on the bottom. To put it bluntly--they just would not fit on the bottom right now because his bite is so tight. So the bottom braces won't be going on for 3-4 months yet.

Nathan wanted his braces to be as subtle as possible, so he chose clear brackets and gold wires. Very chic...considering his twin always chose bold and bright colors--usually themed around the holiday of the season. He was warned to keep the Advil handy on the first day, but he doesn't seem to have any discomfort. But one thing that we know about Nathan is--he has a very high pain tolerance. Braces should be a piece of cake compared to the five surgeries he's had in the last 3 years.

Cameron had a tune-up appointment with the orthodontist today as well. He provided his expert opinion about the whole experience as it was unfolding. Cameron is waiting for stage 2 of his orthodontia plan until all of his permanent teeth are in. He lost a tooth last week and then had the orthodontist wiggle out another tooth today. With three kids in braces right now--we are personally funding the beautiful brand new office on the South Hill. [Kidding! NOT!! Irony and comedy sometimes have a way of lightening the truth ...or we would all sink into deep depressions of reality!] Thank goodness we finished paying off Ashley's braces in July. We had a blissful break in August, and the payments on Nate start in September. Teeth...our new retirement plan. At least it's better then watching the 401K gradually decline into oblivion.

We went from the Orthodontist to the Orthotist right after. It was determined at the last appointment with Dr. Tompkins, the surgeon, that Nathan had lost 1" of bone on his left side and that was causing the pronounced limp in his walk. Nathan has at least a decade of corrective work to do ahead of him with his hips. The doctor was actually surprised that he wasn't in pain with the discrepancy between the sides. He said that a shoe lift would be the best approach right now to help Nathan with the limp until he can determine where the blood supply is going in his left hip.

Our insurance will not cover shoe lifts (go figure) and Shriner's only covers one lift per pair of shoes a year. So with it being back to school time--I got him a new pair of Skechers that Shriners' paid the lift for and we paid the difference for a lift to be added to a new pair of church shoes. Hopefully, his feet will grow slowly...and they will last him till next summer. [Irony--the lift on one shoe cost as much as the brand new pair of Skechers.... Good thing I'm a coupon shopper, right?]

It's funny that you gradually get used to limping...and then you gradually have to get used to NOT limping. Nathan's got some work ahead of him to improve his walking. And hopefully by the time that school starts, Nate will have a more even gait and he'll lose the self-consciousness about one of his shoes being different. Different is GREAT if it means that he can just forget his health problems for awhile and be a kid!

I can't say enough about how blessed we are to have a Shriner's Hospital in Spokane that specializes in orthopedics. They have been the driving force behind correcting what could have been a total catastrophe if we had stayed the course we started 3 years ago with the original femoral fracture. We have never been asked for co-pays, premium differences, undercharges, etc. They have been a miracle in our lives. The prognosis is not great for him right now--but they will continue to provide care and services for him for the years to come, regardless of our ability to pay or not. They are truly AmaZinG!!