Braces are Beautiful

We initiated orthodontic proceedings this weekend and it was a bit of an adventure just to get to this point. As anyone who knows us knows, we tend to do a lot of research before finally choosing a direction in life, and whenever possible make sure that no stone is left unturned. Something involving a plump sum of money complicates this situation exponentially, and let me tell you, orthodontists do not come cheaply.

In addition to cost, which is perhaps the most significant factor, we wanted to consider our impression of the orthodontist, or rather the kid's impression because you want to go to someone who you jive with, right? Especially when you're handing them your child's college savings to have a winning smile. We visited several of them, I think 4 in all, and it is interesting how they are a little different in their own unique way. Some were more expensive than others, but for the most part the cost was pretty similar. As you would expect, the one in the big city was the fanciest and most professional. In the end, we made the choice based on what N wanted and whom he felt most comfortable with, and as it turns out, this was not the most convenient choice for us because it is the farthest away, but such is life. It's his teeth and he should have some say in this.

We went to our first official visit this week, and the proceedings have begun. We met with the orthodontist and in a couple of weeks some metal will be installed. Of course I screwed up by scheduling things during events that we had already planned, but in my defense, I had not anticipated that things would begin so quickly. It always works out that way due to my coping mechanism of putting things off and hoping they will simply disappear rather than actually dealing with it. I had to re-schedule this appointment at least twice which had made me infamous, and this time around I think they were slightly amused and probably a little annoyed, which is nothing new for me.

Interestingly, when we walked in the door, our good friend GM was sitting there waiting for his daughter and we sat and chatted, which is always enjoyable because he's such a great guy whose opinion I value. He said that this ortho was the best and that he, too, had shopped around before coming to this conclusion, so clearly I'm not alone in this approach. Either way, it was nice to see a familiar face because the office is not in our area and people seem willing to cover some distance just to get here.

N seems to be comfortable with the idea of getting braces, at least he hasn't voiced any blatant discontent. I might even go so far as to suggest that he might be intrigued and interested about the whole proposition. Braces aren't what they used to be, and they seem to be a little cooler these days, but what do I know?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to omgitsvale for the pic.