Teeth. I’m so happy to have them, but boy have they given me trouble. Now my daughters are paying the price of inheriting my genes–poor things. I am trying to decide if and how I should get my teeth fixed. I shared before that after all those years of braces my teeth have recently gotten crooked. I don’t like it, but it’s not that bad yet. The problem is the orthodontist tells me they are going to continue to move and not only look worse, but begin giving me bite problems leading to more damage to my already weak teeth.
My daughter Joy is going to have to begin the process of braces soon because overcrowding and bite issues are already causing damage to some of her permanent teeth. Big teeth, small mouth–it’s part of the curse passed down through the generations!
But the one on my mind and heart most right now is Faith. She had a couple of molars that grew in with weak enamel. These teeth were capped hoping to protect them, but one of them has gotten infected. We treated it with antibiotics a few months ago and it seemed better, but I took her in to have it checked again and the infection is back. The infection shows up on the x-rays all they way down to the root and is draining into the bone–not good! Because of my husband’s change of employment we had to find dentists under our new insurance plan. This dentist is not very confident and already talking about sending her to a specialist for a root canal, which her original dentist was hoping to avoid.
She will be on another round of antibiotics to try to heal the area, and we will take her in again in a couple of weeks to have the cap removed and evaluated as to how to progress from there.
So many decisions needing to be made right now, I would really appreciate your prayers! Teeth–gotta have’em!
Poor thing! Teeth issues are no fun. 🙁
I had braces for years, and my kids’ teeth are crocked. I’m in the same boat. I’ll be praying for you!
Are you familiar with Weston A. Price or Ramiel Nagel? I highly recommend reading the book Cure Tooth Decay & checking out curetoothdecay.com. I had never known how much damage could not only be prevented and stopped but reversed! I pray your daughter finds relief & healing by whatever means!
Thank you! I will check it out! However the problem my daughter is having with those two teeth the dentist said was most probably due to a trauma right around birth when those teeth are formed. He asked me if anything happened around the time she was born. I told him about hemorrhaging and then how she quit eating after that https://www.laughwithusblog.com/my-two-week-old-baby-quit-eating/ and he thinks this was probably the cause of it. Still we need to do what we can to keep them now!
Oh my your story sounds like our sage with our 10 year old. She has had three oral surgeries!
With Bethany though she had three permanent teeth that had so much damage they sent her to an endodontist (a specialist – you might want to ask your dentist about this) to have a root canal. However, because she was so young (7 I think at the time) the endodontist did some sort of procedure to try and save them. One tooth they believed would do well, one is still under watch, and one had to be removed a few months later during an emergency surgery because her mouth puffed up during the course of the day. But, I think I still prefer it this way because NO root canal. The endodontist was afraid of traumatizing her which could cause more issues than a few missing teeth later in life.
She also has large teeth and a small mouth, just like your family! She has been seeing an orthodontist since the time she’s seen the endodontist because of an abnormal bite that was beginning to cause her pain when she ate. That is now corrected and she just had oral surgery (the 3rd one) to remove her baby molars and the ones underneath so the incisors will not grow in above all the other teeth, causing them to have to “bring them down” later on.
Believe me I know what you are going through! But I definately recommend getting a second opinion or something before letting them drill your kiddo! If she gets traumatized from it she’ll have a hard time letting anyone tough her mouth after that.
RaD, Thank you so much for your comment! I hate that you have had to go through all of this, but there is some encouragement knowing we are not alone! Thank you for understanding! 🙂
Hi, I feel your pain! My daughter has had to have braces twice and of course insurance only covers once. Then after having braces as a child, as I got older my teeth started shifting as well. I should have listened to my dentist because instead of getting a retainer at 38 when they started moving, at 41 I had to get braces because they had moved so much my teeth were crooked again and my bite had already changed. I say you spend the 250$ or so to get you a retainer right now so you can take care of your kids now and not have to spend 4000-6500 in a couple of years. Because I wasn’t proactive me and my daughter were both in braces at the same time and it was a lot of money going out the door I could’ve saved. Good luck!
I feel for you. My oldest daughter is soon to get braces and my second daughter will shortly follow. I have no idea where we will come up with the cash for that type of orthodontia but it will have to be found. I spent six years working as an orthodontic assistant so I understand the importance of braces. My middle daughter has had numerous cavities and issues with her teeth even though we take care of them the same way we do her cavity free older sisters! She even eats and drinks the same things. I assume it is some sort of genetic defect? Whatever the case I feel for you. Teeth are necessary but so much hassle.