Ciao! Now here's something new from Ann Cannizzaro.
Today I learned a bit more about my daughter Lucia. We had an appointment with our not-so-local orthodontist in Ellsworth...about an hour and a half drive, if you are driving too fast most of the way! Lucia has no 12 year molars on the bottom of her mouth. Her top molars are in, yet they are a bit mis-shapen and they each have tiny cavities. A Panorex x-ray showed that no wisdom teeth are in the picture, or rather, the mouth! This visit was planned to get a second opinion about dental implants.
A few months ago, implants were recommended. "Yikes!" was all I could utter then, with the dentist right there. It seemed like such an extreme measure to take for my young daughter....and within the year no less. Also, implants are quite an expense....each one requiring several steps and costing upwards of $3,000.00 for each tooth. Really an impossibility....at this time.
I was reassured that implants are not necessarily needed in Lucia's case. All of her other teeth are in good health and excellent condition. Her back upper molars may eventually impinge on her lower gums, but at that time the teeth can be ground down a bit or even removed if necessary. That also may not happen. The orthodontist did say that Lucia needs to continue, ad infinitum, her excellent care of her teeth, which I'm sure she will. SHE is greatly relieved to know that implants do not necessarily play a part in her future....at least not NOW!
As for me, I will be making an appointment for Lucia to have those cavities filled, even though they are in those weird 12 year molars that may have to come out one day. The teeth may last a lifetime and simply require normal maintenance and cleaning. Implants not only require money, time, and effort to put into place.....it is said that they also require a lot of maintenance that can be rather costly, in order to keep them in good working condition over a lifetime. So, 15 - 100 years.....that's 75 years worth of extra, costly care if Lucia lives a good, long life.
I think for now, our decision lies with that old belief that "less is more" and we will do our best to work well with the teeth we've got. And we are glad that having no wisdom teeth fits right in there with the "less is more" maxim!
Today I learned a bit more about my daughter Lucia. We had an appointment with our not-so-local orthodontist in Ellsworth...about an hour and a half drive, if you are driving too fast most of the way! Lucia has no 12 year molars on the bottom of her mouth. Her top molars are in, yet they are a bit mis-shapen and they each have tiny cavities. A Panorex x-ray showed that no wisdom teeth are in the picture, or rather, the mouth! This visit was planned to get a second opinion about dental implants.
A few months ago, implants were recommended. "Yikes!" was all I could utter then, with the dentist right there. It seemed like such an extreme measure to take for my young daughter....and within the year no less. Also, implants are quite an expense....each one requiring several steps and costing upwards of $3,000.00 for each tooth. Really an impossibility....at this time.
I was reassured that implants are not necessarily needed in Lucia's case. All of her other teeth are in good health and excellent condition. Her back upper molars may eventually impinge on her lower gums, but at that time the teeth can be ground down a bit or even removed if necessary. That also may not happen. The orthodontist did say that Lucia needs to continue, ad infinitum, her excellent care of her teeth, which I'm sure she will. SHE is greatly relieved to know that implants do not necessarily play a part in her future....at least not NOW!
As for me, I will be making an appointment for Lucia to have those cavities filled, even though they are in those weird 12 year molars that may have to come out one day. The teeth may last a lifetime and simply require normal maintenance and cleaning. Implants not only require money, time, and effort to put into place.....it is said that they also require a lot of maintenance that can be rather costly, in order to keep them in good working condition over a lifetime. So, 15 - 100 years.....that's 75 years worth of extra, costly care if Lucia lives a good, long life.
I think for now, our decision lies with that old belief that "less is more" and we will do our best to work well with the teeth we've got. And we are glad that having no wisdom teeth fits right in there with the "less is more" maxim!
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