Both Aden and William got their top braces on this week so ibuprofen and soft foods are our best friends. As I watch the appointments, equipment, and dollars mount, I've been thinking on how we do our best to make sure that our kids have a better life than we did. I never had braces, because my teeth are good enough, but as an aging parent of tweens I know now that my bite doesn't line up and my front teeth go way too deep on my lower teeth. No wonder I break crowns and overuse some teeth while others remain pristine - they're not even in the field of play! So the bite correction is worth the price of installment, even if the cosmetic alteration is the kids' main focus.
A and W have been warned about gum decay and incentivized with raffles and toys to brush and floss religiously. As if that weren't enough, I told them about all the gum surgeries that my siblings and friends have undergone due to gum decay during braces. Never underestimate the fear factor! William asked me, "so they did it wrong back in the old days?" I had to say yes - there is so much we didn't know, so many things that should have been done or done better. I didn't get braces but I got years of antibiotics for acne - a procedure that seems dubious in the extreme now that I suffer from many gut-related problems.
So we learn, and we do better. As with braces and acne and teen angst in general, and hopefully with the larger issues as well.
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