Braces for Impact

I never really had a lot of dental work done as a kid. Partially, because I didn't have significant issues (one remaining crooked tooth aside), and partially because at one point growing up, we just didn't have money to go to the dentist for, I don't know, about ten years-ish. At one point before the well dried up (or maybe the well dried up because of this), two of my siblings were fitted for retainers, the kind with the key you have to crank to force your teeth to behave (much like Austin Powers), and my sister even had the full headgear at one point, which for some reason I had completely forgotten about and was only recently made aware of through the magic of family home movies.

That is to say, I've never had too much experience with extensive dental work or invasive appliances or procedures, aside from a pulled tooth or two and having the old wisdom teeth removed. My daughter, on the other hand, was inducted into the sorority of orthodontic metal gear just a few days after getting back from a last hurrah of junk food at Great Wolf Lodge. To her credit, Kaiya took the news like a champ, and even seemed kind of excited by the prospect. It helped that some of her friends had already had their smiles brace-ified, so I can only assume the zen attitude was at least in part due to human norms of socialization and having an in-group to validate the change. I guess it also helps that they've made braces "fun" now, and you get to pick your own colours.

My bank account, however, was not so excited at the prospect. Even with dental coverage from both my and my wife's employers, there's still a fair chunk to pay out of pocket. This is kind of a bummer, but luckily we're in a position that's financially flexible enough to absorb the cost. The whole situation did, however, highlight the need for some updates to Canada's already pretty great health care to include dental coverage (you know, one of the most important parts of health care), especially for people who just plain can't afford necessary dental and orthodontic work like this.

All things considered, I'd say my daughter adapted pretty well. She's had no problems with actually brushing her teeth now and keeping her metal chompers free of gunk. She hasn't even complained too much about the kinds of foods she can't eat (although, I'm with her on missing popcorn, as my wife and I are currently on a diet that excludes carbs, including popcorn).

We'll have to wait and see how things go after the first adjustment, but for now, just enjoying my daughter's smile and hoping that my son's teeth turn out perfectly fine all on their own.