orthodontics

We never expected to have a big orthodontics bill at age 5, but from age 4 to 5 Madeleine developed a severe underbite. If we didn't attend to it now, she would need surgery as an older teenager...okay, we'll pay for the orthodontics. :)

It began back at the end of the summer, when she was five, with two large mounds of bonding material attached to her bottom molars to separate her bite so that she could not bite all the way closed. Oh yes, it has been a challenge to eat, poor girl. After one side fell off twice early on, our orthodontist suggested we leave it off, since the one side was enough to do the job.

The second part has been wearing this lovely navy + white chin cup contraption every night while she sleeps. She has been a very good sport about it (even though Braden and I cringe and feel kind of bad for her). This contraption has been slowly working to pull back her jaw. And working it has been! When Maddie bites down now, her lower teeth fall behind her upper teeth. So nice to see!

Maddie gets the bonding removed from her molars in just about a week--yay for easier eating!--but she will need to continue to wear her chin cup for another couple of months. We are getting to the end, though...

...except we might just be beginning it all over again this summer. Mr. Caleb is showing signs of the same underbite. Nice! Apparently this is genetic, but no one on either side of our families can remember anyone with an underbite. Go figure! It must just be some recessive trait that goes nuts when B's and my genes are combined.