Orthodontics Evaluation

You all may remember me talking about taking Maizie for an orthodontics evaluation a year ago or so. It was continually put off due to her frequent hospitalizations and eventual treatment for CVS.

Last week Maizie had her teeth cleaned and her dentist was very understanding as to why we had to put off scheduling a consultation. He works with special needs children and understands the complexity involved. Many of you know what it is like to try and balance everything. You have various medical problems, hearing, visual, physical therapy and the list goes on. It is hard to pick and choose what should be treated first. It is ideal if you can do them all at the same time. Unlikely though due to one health factor outweighing another. Or financial situations that make it necessary to put off certain therapies/treatments due to high cost.

I was happy Maizie had no cavities but the dentist highly recommended Maizie see an orthodontist who works well with special needs children as soon as possible. Before I knew it Maizie was having her consultation. At first they asked me to stay behind but Maizie was not having that. I reminded them of her diagnosis and they apologized. Maizie needed me to help her through the photos. The staff was incredibly caring and worked well with Maizie.For her the x rays were the easy part. The digital photos were very difficult for her. I had to help her hold the plastic as the nurse took the pictures. Maizie told me later that the taking of the photos hurt her a lot. Touch, smells, new place, change of schedule, impending talk of braces, lights (even though she did insist on keeping her glasses on and they were cool with that), new people walking around, rubber gloves, having to lay back and the list goes on. Just one of these is tough for Maizie. Mix them altogether and we have one very difficult experience for Maizie. As you see she brought Spot to help her along. As soon as she knew the photos were done she was all smiles..for a while. When we were waiting in the office (just the two of us) to speak with the doctor Maizie kept herself busy doing some workbooks. After a few minutes she began worrying and started to cry a bit. She had heard the word 'braces' being thrown around and was less than pleased. This first round of treatments is to allow room for teeth to come through. Maizie was asked to sign a contract that outlined exactly what was expected of her in this process. Cleaning her teeth, not eating candy, etc. Maizie read the entire contract aloud, hesitated and then signed. Later she asked, "So...I won't get to eat ever again?"

Tomorrow she has her first appointment for the expander. So far she has handled the wait well. The orthodontist's office is awesome. Way better than when I was a kid. They have video games, slushy machines, fresh breads and a fully supplied tooth brushing station. It felt more like a spa to me. Kids today...they have it so good.