Comments on: Bracing Ourselves

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:07:53 +0000

I can remember when I was 11 years old and I WANTED braces. Badly. Lucky for me, I got them. And then I was sick of them. I do sometimes wonder why we go to the lengths we do…and then I see pictures of my husband when he was a kid, and I’m glad there were braces back then. And head gear.

By: judy

judy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:00:53 +0000

Boy howdy…this is all so familiar to our household. My daughter had the pull out half the teeth then crank a palate expander twice a day routine too. And, like Walking in my Sleep, I stabbed her accidentally a few more times than I’d like to remember.

She has beautiful teeth now, after three years of torture, but has a new issue – extreme jaw pain caused by the fact her teeth were adjusted to be straight, but not even. They don’t hit together, top and bottom, in a uniform way, and it makes her jaw tense on a permanent basis. A thousand dollar insert is now helping…

But as we go into the braces routine for her younger brother, we now go to a specialist, to try to prevent this problem for him, and will pay twice what we paid for hers…OUCH! (for us!)

I think there is justification for them, like nthomp said, because my husband didn’t have them and struggles to keep his overlapping teeth clean. But it sure is painful, for our kids and for us, to pay for this process that only gives them discomfort for two to three years.

Have fun…if that’s possible.

Judy
justonefoot.blogspot.com

By: terry

terry — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:53:53 +0000

OUCH! Isn’t that palate extender/contraception amazing? Who designed it? But it does work. And Will says it doesn’t hurt too much and they can’t throw it out with their lunch at school.

Fun Fun Fun

By: nthomp

nthomp — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:44:20 +0000

Good luck to Noah and Chase with their braces. But there is a health benefit to them. My dentist brother-in-law told me a long time ago that orthodontia is not necessarily just cosmetic. He said it saves people from problems with gingivitis later in life because it straightens the teeth and provides good contact between them for cleaning.

By: Walking In My Sleep

Walking In My Sleep — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:16:37 +0000

Just finished with Little Bug’s braces and have graduated to the retainer stage. Did the expander thingy, too. (Managed to add in a few stabbings with the adjuster tool as I tried to find that tiny little hole it went into.) My suggestion? Buy lots and lots of applesauce…

By: goofdad

goofdad — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:47:01 +0000

I have experiences with several cases of medically necessary orthodontia. My sister’s overbite was so bad that she couldn’t eat an apple at age 10 because her teeth would roll right over the skin. Adam’s teeth were growing in at 90 degree angles, and up above his gumline. It was painful to watch, and he said it was equally painful to live through.

However, I don’t know where the line is between that and simple cosmetics. I had some work done to straighten my lower teeth, Julian had some work done to deal with an overbite … were these necessary? Hard to say.

Your boys are old enough at this point to express their own opinions. As long as you’re asking their input, I think you’re doing fine.

By: Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil

Elizabeth @ Life in Pencil — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:36:00 +0000

Well, when you put it that way, it orthodontia DOES sound barbaric. I was so excited to get braces when I was little. I had a major gap in my front teeth (big enough to fit in a whole other tooth) and severe overbite, and was really self-conscious about myself. Believe it or not, I was less self-conscious to enter junior high school with braces than what I perceived to be a goofy grin. My parents thought the whole thing was completely ridiculous, but it was one of the only things I can remember truly beginning them for. Nothing like a little sociocultural conditioning!

By: Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities

Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:13:51 +0000

I love how you take something so ordinary – braces – and force us to stop and ask why it has become so ordinary. I think we take these things – these deeply-rooted cultural expectations – for granted. We lose track of the fact that these things are actually choices and not mandates and are reflective of subjective, society-honed tastes.

Interesting because I never got braces. My teeth are fine, but I kind of wish my parents had done what you are about to do with your son. Why? Because in this world of ours straight teeth and big smiles – faux and genuine – are all the rage.

So thrilled to have found my way to your delightful blog. (I see from your blogroll that we have many bloggy buddies in common and it baffles me that it has taken us this long to find each other!)