Daughter trouble

My eldest daughter has had a brace in her mouth for the last yer and was hoping to have it removed. But the orthodontist said the brace had done all it could, now she needs surgery to re-align the jaw.

So we went for our first appointment at the hospital. We got the wrong day, and had to go back again the next day.

The woman we saw was very good. But the news wasn't:

• We will have to wait until she is 17 for the surgery, when her growth has stabilised
• She will have to take the brace off to let the teeth spring back to natural positions before the surgery
• Next she will have to have another brace to position the teeth for the surgery
• As well as cutting and realigning the bottom jaw, they will cut and re-align the top jaw, raising the back and lowering the front.
• This is a major operation, requiring general anasthetic (and all associated risks)
• She will be off school for a week for the surgery and a week at least for recovery
• There will be much swelling
• there is a risk of nerve damage, meaning she may had a loss of sensation in her whole lower face for months, and some localised oss of sensation may be permanent.
• After the surgery, she will still have bars and screws in her jaw
• After the surgery, she will have her jaw kept shut with elastic bands for a while, needing a liquid diet.
• After the surfery, she will need a brace for a while to stabilise teeth in the new positions.

My daughter burst into tears in the dentist's chair. Mainly because she wants it now, not in three yeasr's time

THe only moment of comedy was seeing the shocked and fearful faces as I escorted my crying daughter out of the treatment room through the waiting room and out the door.

Back home, Mum was opposed to the operation proceding at all. Cosmetically, the girl is beautiful anyway, she lisps, but not so anyone would notice, and OK she can't bite properly but she's managed OK for the last 14 years.

Then my other daughter talked about how SHE gets teased for having a sister that lisps. Daughter one bursts into tears again. Daughter two is sent out of the room for insensitivity. But at least Mum now accepts that there si a genuine need for the operation, and quickly drops her opposition and becomes a strong supporter instead.

Looking at youtube, we find a lot of people that describe the operation as extremely unpeasant, but something they are very glad to have had done, well worthwhile.

So it looks like we will have four years of anxiety and trauma before it is al over.

And in the UK, it is all free on the National Health Service. So I guess that makes me an Obama supporter?