Kaminski Family: Braces Braces Braces

I took the two older ones to the Orthodontist for a consult. Ari has already done 2 years of braces and One year of a retainer. Last year I noticed that Ari's bottom teeth seamed to be shifting. I said something to her and she immediately slapped her hand over her mouth and said that she had done everything right. "I know" I said but they seam like they're shifting. In the meantime, Alex has always been on our radar since he was a MAJOR thumb sucker. We were just waiting for all of his permanent teeth to come in so we would know what we were dealing with.

Alex went first. While the ortho was talking to me Alex looked adoringly at the retainers in the display case that had the Under Armor logo on them and asked several times as to when he would get his retainer. I answered him several times with the " buddy it's gonna be a couple of years before you get a retainer so give it a rest will ya?"

Ari took her turn next. YES she will be needing yet ANOTHER set of braces. Oh and by the way... her wisdom teeth need to come out immediately. I'm sitting there taking it all in. Both kids need braces and Ari also needs her wisdom teeth out. Cha ching cha ching!!

Alex is sitting next to me while Ari is in the chair. He is pestering me about the damn retainer and when does he get his braces. A moment of silence comes over us and Alex hears a drilling noise..."what was that?" as he whips his head towards me. "Was that a drill?"

Why yes, yes it was!" I say just to torture him a bit. He starts to get a bead of sweat on his forehead. Perhaps his excitement was a bit premature. The ortho quickly puts his mind at ease, ~~damn~~ , " that's what we use to get the glue off of your teeth when we remove something." " nothing to worry about."

My fun is over when the nurse sits down with the estimates for both kids. The smile and enthusiasm is gone from my face. I sit and stare into space while Ari tries to get them to start her treatment today. She is in a hurry. The Doc tells her that she will only have to have her braces on for nine months if she wears her rubber bands as prescribed. She of course WILL because she wants it done before she graduates high school next year. I tell her to cool her jets so we can go home and talk to Dad about it. She reluctantly agrees., but bugs me all the way home about wanting to get her wisdom teeth pulled this weekend
( because she is available and doesn't have volleyball). I am tired.

That following Friday I manage to ~~bribe~~ get her an apt for her oral surgery. She had her wisdom teeth pulled last Friday. All four were impacted and had played a major role in the shifting of her beautiful teeth. She spent five days in our bed. Poor Ted was banished to sleeping upstairs in the bonus room. I was banished to sleeping with a teenager that required round the clock pain meds and Advil. NOT to mention her bad breath that smelled like an animal carcass. I still love her though. She is much better now and so is her breath.