At last year’s dentist appointment, it was pointed out that our son has an overbite. As it could destroy his teeth, left untreated, certainly something that should be addressed by orthodontics.
Normally, when a doctor or dentist tells you your child needs X, Y or Z care, you don’t hesitate; you take care of it. We immediately saw an orthodontist. Course of treatment would be internal braces that would be screwed outward a little each week, squeezing his upper cleft outward a little at a time. It would last for about 6 months to a year, to be followed up with normal braces later in life. Total cost approximately $2,900 (including the $500 discount if we decided fast, not including the braces, later in life).
This time around we didn’t take follow doctors advice. I told myself, fuck it (not in front of the kid of course) and Mrs Mi10 was with me. Our son, who as some of you know, has Type One Diabetes already has to deal with 6 daily injections and equal, if not more, finger pricks to test his blood, weekly sensor changes and pissing on a stick when things go bad.
The last thing he needed was an additional device, requiring weekly maintenance, stuck to his body. Oh, and the only silver lining to his Type One (as he puts it); the candy he gets when going low. It would go away as those braces couldn’t deal with the sugary, sticky stuff.
The plan was to hold off at least for 6 months so we would not stack misery on top of misery. I figured, once he settled into his diabetes routine, we could maybe add the braces at a later date.
I’m glad we waited. Yesterday, our son had his latest dentist visit and, to the dentist surprise, the overbite had resolved itself. It’s a MIRACLE, He can see chew again!!!!
Eh, not really. Clearly, it wasn’t just Mr and Mrs MI10 , worried about the added discomfort of braces. Our boy has been quietly but persistently pushing his jaw back. Something we probably didn’t notice while he was hunched over his Minecraft/Terraria. Hail Minecraft (every time I hate that game, something good comes out of it).
So, it seems we dodged a bullet here. No more braces required, no 6 month discomfort for our boy and oh, lest not forget about the $2,900.00. Although, not the primary concern in this matter, certainly not something we can neglect. Orthodontics do not fall within the Insurance and would not apply to the already existing $6,700 deductible we max out mid-year.
This is not going to turn into a lecture on how to do things better. I’m certainly not advocating ignoring doctor’s advice. We’re just going to take this as a win for our boy and our budget (mostly our boy).
feature photo source
Good luck reaching your financial goals.
That’s certainly a win! What a smarty pants! How did your son even come up with the idea of exercising his jaw? AWaiting was smart, no matter the outcome, giving him a chance to adjust to the diabetes routine.
Well played, Maarten!
Thx, yeah he’s maybe the smartest of us all. We really wanted to wait to spare him for a few more months. We had no clue he would fix it.