Crooked or Straight? Do you want something to SMILE about?

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a crooked or a straight smile? If your smile is crooked how does it interfere with your daily smile quota?

I've never had crooked teeth but my daughter did and all her smiles were closed mouth smiles. During her dental check ups, the dentist said that she didn't "need" braces. This meant that her crooked teeth were livable and no major mouth structure issues.  It was obvious to us that she never smiled with her teeth as you can see in the above photo.  So her issue wasn't structural but more emotional. 

As a family, we were unsure at how much it would cost to put braces on our daughter.  It seemed like this cost was coming right about the time we needed to add another car because two teens started driving!  We finally bit the bullet last summer and took her in for a consultation with the Orthodontist.  He could tell right away that her problem wasn't major and that she could have a beautiful smile with the help of braces.

Our orthodontist gave us our anticipated treatment fees, payment options and insurance benefits during that first meeting.  From that point we then had time to decide if it was something that we could do for our daughter.  Check out the below photo!  This is how she is now smiling.....

We have been amazed at how well she is doing with her braces. Braces have taught her to be more responsible.  She has to watch what she eats and works to clean and care for them as instructed by the orthodontist.   In a few months she will have her braces off and she will keep on giving us a toothy smile!  Now that is SOMETHING worth smiling about! 

Are you in the same situation for yourself or for one of your children?  I strongly suggest that you set up a consultation with your local Orthodontist and just see what can be done.  We found that the problem wasn't as bad as we thought and that our insurance did cover some of the cost.

Right now you can go to braces.org  and download a free coupon for a consultation to participating AAO orthodontist.  What a great deal!  This will give you a little bit of an incentive get that appointment scheduled.  While you are there printing off the consultation coupon, check out their informative website.  You can get the scoop on why you straighten teeth, scheduling an orthodontist appointment before age 7, when to call as well as myth & facts about braces.


So what are you waiting for?  Don't you need something to smile about?  Who needs a consultation in your family?


Thanks to the American Association of Orthodontists blogger outreach program for sponsoring this post with a $100 Amex gift card.  It in no way influenced my thoughts or words.  We are thrilled at how well our daughter is doing with braces!