I’m sitting in the orthodontist’s office having flashbacks to when I was a teen and first got my braces. It’s a little disconcerting considering I absolutely hated everything about braces. Getting them, wearing them, tightening them. It was miserable. It’s hard to have those memories and then sit here and tell my own daughter that getting braces is no big deal. But that’s what I did.
Did I lie? Yes, I think I did.
I don’t normally lie to my kids. Ever. I would much rather them know the truth… but, the braces thing… I didn’t want Temera to panic. She was already stressed out enough on her own. As a parent, it’s my job to calm her fears, right? Yes, right. That’s what I did.
Braces are a lot different than when I was a kid. At least, that is the party line fed to me by the orthodontist. They might be different, but they are STILL a big pain the ass. We could very easily have just not ventured into the braces arena. It’s not like her teeth were completely twisted and mangled. It’s not like she had teeth refusing to come in or had buck teeth or anything. We didn’t HAVE to get braces… an elective procedure that millions of kids get every year. After my bad experience with braces, you would think that I would have run from the idea of a child of mine going through this drama.
I thought about running. I didn’t.
It’s a lot different being on the parent side of things. While I was miserable wearing braces for 4 years, I know my parents made the choice they felt was best at the time. That’s what I’m doing now. I don’t know how much this is going to make a difference. But I have to take a shot at my kid having the most beautiful teeth, mouth, smile she can.
We want the best for our kids. Sometimes that means making difficult decisions for them. That’s the part of parenting nobody ever tells you about. Having to take a leap of faith that what you are doing is the right thing.
So I’m sitting here… hoping she isn’t suffering too much. Hoping she won’t suffer the day after… or the month after… or the year after.
I took a leap of faith that the orthodontist is doing the very best for her. Let’s hope we made the right decision.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
They say that having really straight teeth avoids many problems later on with bite, night grinding, etc. So, think of it as saving her tons of $$ and anguish as an adult.
Oh, maybe that’s some BS they feed us to guilt us into getting our kids braces.
One tip - the colored pads or sizers or whatever they are? Even if your kid’s fav color is orange, and he (or she) is pumped up that they’re available… not a good look. I think only yellow or black would be worse.
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We are colorless. That was one thing we all agreed on… colored bands or wires or anything in your mouth is just plain gross. It just looks like you have food caught in your teeth.
Your kids are blessed to have the means (financial) to get the best smile possible! Mine were not so lucky; we can not afford such a luxury. So, tell her she’s lucky!