Orthodonture

Ah, the moment I’ve dreaded. The moment of “these kids need braces - and immediately”. Having observed how Bobby has a tooth stuck up in his upper gum because there’s nowhere for it to drop in, and how Theo has really pronounced buck teeth that make it difficult for him to eat (he’ll just pick away at sandwiches and burgers unless I cut them into small pieces because he can’t bite them), I can’t delay anymore. I’m particularly worried about Theo, because I have a friend my age with a similar issue and she’s had tons of problems with her teeth over the years because of this and is currently undergoing extremely expensive dental surgery. The orthodontist says if we don’t correct this now before he’s a teenager the only way to do it later would be jaw surgery. Yikes.

The funny thing is, very few people my age had any kind of orthodonture - only rich kids got braces back in the day - and somehow we all turned out ok. So there’s a little part of me that is skeptical that any of this is really necessary, especially considering the horrid experiences I’ve had with dentists trying to upsell me on every little thing. But…I don’t think this is a risk I’m willing to take, just ignoring this advice. And as much as the $7000 price tag (to start!!! It’ll end up being about $12,000 in total) is horrible, and I don’t currently have it, thankfully I can finance it with no interest at a cost of about $250 a month. And the H had agreed to a rent hike of that amount a couple of weeks ago anyway, and he also offered to pay half the fees on top of that as well. So financially I won’t even really feel it.

The change to our daily lives, though, is something I’m very apprehensive about. Bobby I think I can trust to be fairly conscientious, but Theo has a whole other level of daily responsibility that will of course become my responsibility. He has to wear head gear twelve hours a day - at night, of course - to push his front teeth back. For eighteen months. That’s going to be a lot. Especially worrisome is the week he’s at summer camp, which is the only time I won’t be with him. 

As we were walking out from the dentist’s office I asked both boys what they thought about all that, since it’s their bodies under discussion. Bobby said quickly that he wanted braces. Theo, while I’m not convinced he really understood what was going on, also said he wanted to go ahead. I know his teeth bother him. It also helps that they know lots of kids who have had things like this, so it’s something they aspire to. I think for Bobby, too, it makes him feel older. His braces are only for two years, so the good news is he’ll only have them for less than that first awkward year of junior high school. By the time he turns thirteen they’ll be done. Same for Theo, who will also need full braces once this part is over. 

We’re going to spend a short time seeking out less expensive options but I will probably just go ahead with this plan. It’s going to change our lives a bit, but this is what life with kids is, constant change. We’re moving into big kid territory. Bobby has one year left at this school and then he moves on - Theo has gotten tall and skinny lately and all of his pants are suddenly too short. When their sweet little baby voices start changing I’m going to lose it. I think this is why I’m so frantic about spending these times out in the desert - it’s the only time we really switch off and enjoy each other. Even the H, a lifetime workaholic, commented as we were heading out there last weekend that he desperately needed family time. It’s funny that a little shack in a god-forsaken desolate place can bring an otherwise busy and distracted family together.