Orthodontia

'Sup everybody. So this title is not a clever euphemism for some comedic oral occurrence. It's about some stuff that's happening with Miss Olaiya.

Over a year ago at our last dentist appointment in Iowa City, our dear dentist said that she'd like for Olaiya to have an orthodontic consult at age 4 or 5. After we'd been here for 15+ months and I no longer had the excuse of "we're moving" or "we're new to the area" I randomly came across (ooh! pretty flyer in the mail!) a close by dentistry that also had an orthodontist.

We've now had a dental appointment, ortho consult and first ortho appointment and this is what we know:

Olaiya has an under-bite, i.e. when she bites down, her top teeth are within her lower teeth. In trying to correct for this, her young and therefore very malleable jaw has already developed a crossbite, trying to get her teeth to line up right. Her jaw also pops when she closes it from being wide open. (This I hadn't been aware of - when the orthodontist had Olaiya demonstrate, she was all, "You can put your hand right here and feel it." Um, no thanks - I could hear it. I'm good.)

Something like 90% of the time this is because the top jaw is too small. This is something that can be fixed with a retainer that would be glued (?) in the top of her mouth. (The question mark is because mama, and neither of her siblings, has never had any orthodontia, so I, as of yet, am not fully educated about how all this works. I am so uneducated with this scene that Kurt laughed at my optimistic, "Our insurance covers 50% or $2000 lifetime - isn't that great?!" Apparently Steve could have retired at age 40, but instead Lisa, Kurt and Seth have pretty smiles and can chew properly.) The other possibilities are less likely and require more action.

Her first appointment on this path was two weeks ago. This was the data-gathering appointment. Olaiya did fabulously, laughing and giggling with the assistant and orthodontist through digital photos and x-rays. Then there were the impressions. Unknowing, Olaiya allowed the first one in (bottom teeth/jaw), but quickly decided impressions were not her cup of tea, and would not open up for #2.

So tomorrow, dressed up as Tinkerbell, Olaiya goes in for Round 2 of impressions. If you've had them - and I have not - you are all too aware of how awesomely fun they are. The goop, the choking, the gagging, etc. If you are blissfully unaware of all that is orthodontia, impressions involve the doc mixing up some powder with water to produce a dough-like substance that they use to fill a tooth tray/retainer-on-a-stick like thing and then have you put in your mouth.

We've got a "tooth holder" here at home with which Olaiya's been practicing (not often, or for long), and I gotta tell ya - I've tried it, and it sucks. The thing goes really far back and you can't help but gag. And that's without the stuff on it.

Anyway, if you read this, her appointment is first thing tomorrow morning. She'll be slightly doped up on antihistamine. She'll be packin' Sleeping Beauty - 50th Anniversary Edition ready to go in the DVD player. She'll be wearing a sparkly crown. Pray that she's not prematurely wigged-out, that she's calm and that her gag reflex is lovin' the Benadryl.

***Coming Summer 2009 - Impressions, Round 3. Olaiya opened up for the tray, but then completely gagged, getting more of the goop on her tongue than her teeth, which led to subsequent gagging and dry heaving. Doc said no worries, that it was great that she wanted to come, gave it a shot, and that we'll try when she's five. Have a Happy Halloween!