Braces Strike Back

Tomas got his braces off a few months ago. Not like anyone outside the family would know that, because we’ve all got masks on all the time when we’re out of the house. (Though maybe people can see it in Zoom?) But after years of orthodontic work, he was finally freed, and there was much rejoicing.

But what’s the point in just not making a 45 minute drive to Augusta once a month? Daniela wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out on that opportunity, so she bravely volunteered as the next tribute to Orthodontia the Fearsome. The good news is that if you had to get braces during your life, having them come when you’ve always got a mask on is probably about as ideal timing as you can get. Then again, if you had to have uncomfortable medical procedures done on your mouth over the course of two years, I can think of better times to do that, as well. It all depends on how you look at it, I suppose.

Also: these things aren’t cheap. I didn’t really appreciate that side of things when I was getting my own teeth done back in high school, but it’s something I’m all too aware of now. True, we have dental insurance, which covers $1,000 of work for each child, but . . . that’s only a fraction of the total cost. The good news for Daniela is that her jawline is in pretty good shape, so she’ll be missing out on some of the worst parts of the process Tomas went through.

Sometimes I wonder if the reason I have such a hangup about dentists is that I didn’t go through all the bad dental experiences as a child. I didn’t have cavities until past high school. I never got my wisdom teeth out. Even for orthodontics, I only needed braces on the front part of my bottom teeth, and a retainer for the top. So I just haven’t had a lot of experience when it comes to dental work. Denisa’s an old pro. Tomas has had to face a root canal already. Daniela had two wisdom teeth out before she was a teenager. The worst I’ve still had to deal with has been cavities. I’m not complaining, but at the same time, even going in for a cavity filling is super stressful to me.

Oh well. Water under the bridge at this point. For today, send some good thoughts Daniela’s way. It’ll be a long two years, no doubt . . .

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