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Yesterday my daughters had their first orthodontist appointment. (Yikes!) It actually went better than I thought it would. Three of my girls are now on an "observation track," meaning we'll go in every six months or so and see how things look. They'll likely be on this track for several years as we pull teeth and try other things to make space for their adult teeth. One of my girls goes back in six months and will probably need braces at that time due to a crossbite (what I would call an underbite). I guess if we do this one at a time it won't seem like such a financial blow, right?!
It was really funny watching them interact with the orthodontist. My normally shy daughters were talking over one another to get his attention and he thought they were all hilarious. I found myself trying not to burst out laughing at the following conversations:


Orthodontist: "So your mom says you like to swim. Where do you like to go swimming?"
M: "At the pool."


and then later....
Orthodontist: "You like to draw? What do you like to draw?"
K: "Pictures."

My husband summed it up best: my daughters are smartasses without even trying.

It's Time for the Orthodontist Already?!

When my daughters went to their first dentist appointment, the dentist told me all four would eventually need braces. This didn't surprise me, as Hubby and I both wore braces. I was lucky and only need mine for about a year and a half. Hubby wore his a bit longer and needed one of those palette cracking torture devices. What did surprise me is that at our last check up the dentist said he wanted me to take all four of them to the orthodontist... now. 

What?! I wasn't prepared to take them this young (age 6). In fact, I've really been in denial about the whole thing. I'm just not ready to think about sinking thousands of dollars into my daughters' mouths.

The most common reactions I receive when I tell people I've scheduled orthodontist appointments for my daughters is "Get a second opinion" or "They're too young." The thing is, I actually think the dentist is right. My girls all have tiny mouths. Their teeth are "crowded" in there. As they lose their baby teeth, their adult teeth are bigger than the space allotted for them, so they're knocking out other baby teeth. Case in point: Q had to have two teeth pulled this week to make room for her adult teeth. 

Several of my neighbors recommend the orthodontist we're going to see. He will apparently tell you if it's easier/better to have a few teeth pulled versus putting on braces. One of the neighbor girls who is going into third grade only has braces on her two front top teeth because those teeth were hitting her bottom teeth and could have caused major damage. Our first orthodontist appointment is in two weeks. Wish me luck... my wallet and I are going to need it!