Yucky Rocks

Many years ago, I was holding one of my kids and they looked up at me and said, "Mom, your teeth look like yucky rocks!" We've laughed a lot over the years about my yucky rocks. I am not going to say that my kids teeth look like yucky rocks today, but I do think some of the things they are going through with their teeth are pretty yucky. Here's the run down. Above is Tyler. I have done a previous post on his mouth conditions. This is the latest. After the surgery we went to the orthodontist (who I'm sure thinks CHA-CHING everytime we walk through the door, which is very often!) He had to have the chains that were put in by the oral surgeon "activated." It took 2 hygeienests and the doctor multiple attempts to get it. As we were driving home, he said it was the worst pain he has ever felt, and that he would rather have his wisdom teeth out twice before having that done again. Too bad it has to be done every month until his impacted teeth are pulled into place! This poor kid has really gone through a lot lately!


Here we have Brandon. He is 11 years old and only has 2 front teeth! The kid is all gums. He had 5 teeth pulled about a month ago to make room for the permanant teeth which have yet to make an appearance. The dentists will all say "Oh, after we pull these the teeth will come in really fast." This has never been the case for my kids. The teeth are pulled and it will take even up to 10 months for the permanant teeth to come in. And so my 5th grader, yes, 5th grader, walks around with only his 2 front teeth. The other day at the orthodontist (CHA CHING) he said, "Well, we are just waiting for teeth to come in so next time we can take off the braces and put a retainer behind the teeth." I was mortified! If they take off the braces he will really look silly. I feel that the braces and that big wire going around his mouth at least give the appearance that something is there. Or maybe the glitter of the wire gives the perception that teeth should be there or something like that! I said, "Do we have to take the braces off, could we please leave them on?" He looked at me strangely and said, "Sure, it really doesn't matter." Well to me and to Brandon it does. Luckily, I have asked Brandon if his lack of teeth bothers him and he just shrugs and says "Not really." Thank goodness for that!

Bryson just couldn't wait to get his expander on so he could see what it felt like (I think he just wanted to be like his older brothers). He got it on... and after 2 hours hated it. This contraption is placed in their mouth and then I get to crank it every night to open or expand the jaw. He cringes every time I crank him. It makes him talk funny, food gets stuck in it all the time, and his 2 front teeth now have a big space in between them that he can put his tongue into (He was very proud to show me that). And that is only after cranking for 1 week, we have at least 2 to go. The orthodontist (CHA CHING) pretty much knows that this expanding won't give us the space he needs and Bryson will have to have the same surgery Ty did to remove permanant teeth. There just isn't enough room, but the expansion will in the long run make his smile look better. At least that's what they tell me.

The verdict was still out on my 3 younger kids. I was hopeful that it was maybe just an Allred boy thing. And then Alyssa came to me and said "mom, look at my teeth!" I looked, and I knew. There is no hope for her. The fact that the teeth are coming in behind the baby ones and the baby ones are not really loose probably means that she will be like Tyler and her baby teeth just won't fall out. Which means I will be at the dentist (CHA CHING) often to get all of the baby teeth pulled at different times and I will be spending a lot of time with her at the orthodontist (CHA CHING) as well. That's OK. I just put my car on auto drive and it finds its way to the orthodontist all by itself, we go there so often. I might just take a nap on the way. The verdict is still out on Ethan, its too early to tell they tell me. Please pray for him. Maybe, he will be the lucky one.....but I doubt it!

And I don't hold much hope for this one, the last of the Yucky Rock Allred Bunch. Because that thumb of hers is in her mouth all day and all night. That can't be good (at least for her or for me), but for the dentist and orthodontist, well........CHA CHING!!