braces?

[kwitz]

Another thread talking about thumb sucking got me thinking about braces. Am I obligated as a parent to put braces on my children? Obviously if the condition is blatent or not a cosmetic issue, then I think braces are necessary.

But what about pure cosmetic reasons? My daughter (now 15) has pretty nice teeth but after correcting her finger sucking problem the orthodontist recommended braces. They would’ve been on less than a year so I’m thinking it’s a pretty easy problem to fix. Has our society gotten to a point where perfection is all that is acceptable? I know that 30 years ago, her teeth would’ve been considered super and no one would’ve considered braces.

Anyway, we decided against spending $4000 on them and occasionally I feel bad. What do you all think?

Kris

 

[lizziebeth730]

My teeth weren’t “bad” but I ended up with braces from 7th grade until the end of my senior year in high school. Most often it’s not cosmetic, but more for alligning the jaw correctly (which is what I needed) so that you don’t have problems later in life.

Unless your me, when 2 weeks after you get the stupid things off, you get in a car accident that breaks your jaw and leaves you with TMJ. Sigh.