In this very sad photo we see Tori who had her four Wisdom Teeth removed in the office under light sedation this morning. She is actually feeling much better this afternoon and has been able to eat some vanilla pudding and drink a cup of coffee! This surgery has become a rite of passage for the teen-agers in our family. Tori is the SIXTH member of our family that Dr. A. has taken wisdom teeth out of!!!!Back in 1991 or so, he pulled Andrea's and then Jeff, Greg, Meg and Natalie followed. Natalie had hers done early because her 12 year molars were trapped under the molars in front of them. The bottom wisdom teeth were removed so that the 12's could back up and then erupt in the correct place. That has actually happened, too. Dr. A. does a fantastic job and is a sweet man. He knows us and so do all of his long term assistants.We have a Doctor /Patient relationship that spans about 17 years.We highly recommend him and hopefully he will be able to work on our next three kids when it is their turn!
Similarly, we have a family orthodontist who is also a great man and very good at what he does. When Jeff was in third or fourth grade and we could see that he was going to need orthodontics, we fearfully thought, "How are we going to pay for this?" I am here to tell you that the Lord has provided. Jeff started at Dr. G.'s in June of 1996. We have been paying this orthodontist monthly since that time. He's good, but he's not cheap! Insurance paid a very little in the first few years, but none since then. By God's Grace, we have finished paying for Jeff, Greg, Meg ,Tori, Natalie, and don't have too much longer to go to finish paying for Sam's orthodontia. I have taken John in for an evaluation but the Dr. thought that he could wait a little longer to begin.
You see, when my husband met me, my teeth were straight! He had NO idea what a challenging dental genetic package he was getting!!!! I am so grateful to my parents who sacrificed to pay the 850 dollars that my braces cost almost 40 years ago. As a young woman, I remember saying that if my kids ever needed braces, I would take a second job to pay for them. My teeth were so bucked. Not the second job, nor even the first has been necessary, Thanks be to God. I haven't had to work outside our home in fourteen years. One month at a time, we have made this payment. I occasionally give myself a little pat on the back for the HUNDREDS of appointments I have made and kept in 14 years of continuous orthodontics. I very much appreciate the sacrifices my husband makes to provide this investment in dental care.
The main point that I would like to make is that God has provided what we have needed for this large family. Are lots of kids expensive? I have no idea. I really haven't noticed. By putting one foot in front of the other and by taking it one day at a time, it all gets taken care of. Likewise, it has been a tremendous blessing to have lived in this same town for 21 years, which has allowed us to build long term relationships with these excellent dental professionals and their entire staffs.
