On Facebook, there is a meme going around asking people to post old photos of themselves. I chose this one. I was in 5th grade and I was 9 years old. Look at those snaggly teeth! My left front tooth was crooked because it grew in over my baby tooth. Both of my front teeth grew in at different times so I had one big one and one little one and my older brothers used to call me "Fang". The gap between my front teeth was so large that I used to be stick a wooden ruler between them. My mom was worried that I would need braces (money was very tight in our family when I was growing up) but the dentist told her to wait and see what would happen when my eye teeth came in. Guess what? The eye teeth grew in and pushed my teeth all together and they are straight. I have a 40% overbite (I guess "ideal" is less than 30%) but otherwise, straight teeth.

I have mentioned before that my children need orthodontics. Stephen took the boys to the dentist before Christmas and again it was brought up that they *really* need work done. Stephen had totally spaced and had forgotten that they had gone so he came home with a referral for Jax to go ASAP (not sure why the dentist did not have the info about the previous referral).

Here is a recent photo:


See, he has a gap between his front teeth but it is way smaller than mine was at that age. And so far, his teeth are really, really straight.

So why is the dentist so hot to get Jax in braces? I mean, she is not the orthodontist. Does she get a kick-back for every referral that results in braces? I have no delusions that Dex and Cars won't need them but wonder if Jax really will. It seems young to me if it is just for teeth straightening. And the gap will surely disappear when his eye teeth come in, right?

Anyway, it has just been something I have been thinking about since they went to see the dentist a few weeks ago and with the start of the New Year and how we will spend the money in our Flexible Spending Account this year.