The Dental Policeman just pulled me over!
"Is there a problem officer?", I say as I roll down the window.
"Ill need to see your Insurance card and Visa. Son, do you have any idea why I pulled you over?"
"Uhh, well, no officer. What did I do"
"A few days ago I noticed that you and your eldest were doing the dental speed limit. No cavities, great teeth, no problem. The other day you zoomed by with your middle daughter. Even though she had two small topical cavities, I looked the other way. Now here you come along with your son, Kole, and 'BANG', major accident! Sorry son, but this time I'm throwing the book at you! You and he will have to come down to the Orthodontic Head Quarters and explain yourselves to the Judge!"
"But officer, I didn't know he wasn't brushing his teeth!"
"Ignorance is no excuse, son! You could have killed all those Molars and Bi-cuspids. It's bad enough that this accident has occurred. There are teeth splayed out everywhere and I don't know if we can save them all...
...so , Felix, Felix, FELIX", says Dr. Kelson as I come out of my shocking daydream. "How do you want to take care of this. Here's your referral slip to the Orthodontists that I recommend."
The story above is funny, but true. The sad fact is that Kolya will have to have major work done over the next few years to bring his teeth to a "normal" state. Dr. Kelson thinks that Kolya had a major fever or illness that kept his teeth from ever growing or coming in at all. He is missing about eight permanent teeth that are just not there in the X-rays. I know, I saw it! When his badly pitted baby teeth fall out, he will have no teeth below to fill in the spaces. He also has some un-restorable permanent teeth which means they will need to be pulled. Another tooth or two are growing in sideways, so who knows what will happen. Dr Kelson recommended implants but he warned that this can't be done really until he fully develops physically. He wants us to go to an Orthodontists and have him come up with a long-term plan to restore Kole's teeth. So with great chagrin, I took his referral slip. We scheduled the visit already and I left confounded. How is it that the two girls' teeth were superb and Kole's isn't? Nadia had perfect teeth with no apparent work done he said. Julia, although she had two very minor cavities, had even better and straighter teeth than Nadia. Also, no apparent work was done. But Kolya, Wow!
It became apparent last night as we caught Kolya in a lie. He's been telling us, and probably everyone his whole life, that he has brushed his teeth when asked. We went up to check this one time and we saw a dry brush, a full one-month-old tube of toothpaste, and an almost full bottle of ACT dental rinse. He has been sticking a little tooth paste in his mouth and blowing in our face to show that he has brushed.
Now, I don't blame the little guy. He doesn't know any better because he has never been taught any better. After he was busted, I marched him upstairs and told him to brush his teeth while I watched. I cried as I discovered that my son doesn't know how to brush his teeth. It was surreal. I couldn't believe it, he really had no clue how to properly do it other than stick paste on the brush and put it in his mouth!
Kole doesn't like it when I don't believe him and it annoys him to be watched while brushing. But, it has to be done. Kole and I have a new game now. We brush or teeth together even if one or both of us already have. I'll grab my brush and head over to his room (all of our bedrooms have their own bathroom inside, a feature I love about our house. But I digress!). We brush together and he copies my actions, up, down, side to side, in and out. I make a big deal about it with much drama. "Ooohh, Kolya! That makes my teeth feel so good and very happy!" Afterwards, I thank him over and over for helping me make my teeth pretty and white and for saving them. I'll also tell him that his are happy and pretty too. So far he loves it and it is working.
~ Felix ~
