A few months ago we started down the long (and expensive...) road of getting Emily's teeth sorted out. They didn't look too bad, but after many nights of crying during dinner because it hurt to bite etc. I decided to go and get them checked out at the orthodontist and he confirmed that the current positioning of her teeth was such that she couldn't actually bite properly. For the last few months she has had a brace on the inside of her teeth to push them all out and yesterday she got the top braces on to straighten them all. Fortunately she was quite happy to get them and even opted to get the more visible, but less painful silver braces rather than the slightly less obvious, but often more painful white ones. Another fortunate thing is that we got them before she started junior high school... a word of warning to anyone living here - the price of getting orthodontic services increases rapidly when they hit junior high school... which would probably put them completely out of our price range!
There is only one orthodontist in our vague area and he seems very nice. I like going there for two reasons - the first is this nifty slipper dispenser which sterilises all the slippers before it plops them out the bottom (you can see a pair just coming out in the photo). You may remember my experiences of hospital slippers at a skin disease clinic... after this sterilised slippers are the best! The other reason I like this orthodontist is because there is free coffee in the waiting room. And aromatherapy. And quiet to read my book while Emily is having all her teeth dealt to. Mind you for the amount we are paying I might ask if they want to hire a masseuse too....
Aromatherapy! Things have improved since I had braces!
ReplyDeleteErika had her braces removed just days before we moved here. It took two years to straighten her teeth. Our employer's insurance covered some of the costs. She still has to wear a retainer every night to keep things straight. From the sound of it, I think we were wise to have her teeth taken care of before we moved here. Erika's beautiful smile was more than worth the cost. Please tell Emily to hang in there and keep smiling!
ReplyDeleteHi Jo, I'm fairly new to your blog, but this post was of particular interest as my 10 year-old son is also currently facing the prospect of braces. I know what you mean when you mention expense - I'm still getting over the shock of being told how much the total price is likely to be!!
ReplyDeleteAfter a few months, have you (and your daughter) noticed a significant improvement? I'm currently in the process of weighing up the pros and cons of going ahead with the treatment, so any other information/advice would be appreciated.
Best regards from Kitakyushu,
Rob.