Dentist

I think that we have decided that Steve chose the wrong profession. He should have been a dentist.
We have had Kaiser dental insurance for the past few years because it was a lot less expensive. Well, after several bad experiences, I finally convinced Steve to switch back to our old insurance.
I mentioned before that Rachel had fun at the tooth doctor. Well, today the older kids went. I don't think that I mentioned how this dental office is. It is a pediatric office, so I knew it would be geared toward the kiddos. The whole place has an "island adventure" decor to it. Waterfalls, fish, boat stuff, tiki torches, you name it. They have toys, a tv playing movies, and two game cube systems in the waiting room. There are tvs above the chairs where you lay so you can watch a movie while they are working on your teeth. The hygienists wear heelies, and skate around the place. Today they were all wearing princess crowns. They had princess crowns, pink feather boas, top hats, fake moustaches and walking sticks out for the kids to play with. The staff is all super friendly, it really is an awesome place. Heck, I want to have my teeth cleaned there.
Because of our poor quality treatment at Kaiser, there are problems that I never knew about. One of Jake's molars never formed completely, and as a result, he has a big hole in the back of it...that has to be filled. The dentist said any longer and he would have had to have a root canal! All of the sealants that Kaiser put on have cracked and fallen off, so those have to be replaced. Neither one of my kids has enamel on their back molars, so they both have two little cavities that need filled. Neither one of them has ever had a cavity before. Poor things.
Then we went into the orthodontic treatment plan. Becka needs two of her permanent teeth pulled, an appliance on the roof of her mouth to correct her cross bite and then braces, Jake has to have 4 permanent teeth pulled, 4 baby teeth yanked, and the appliances for spacing until he is old enough for braces.
Yeah, not fun! Poor kids never had a chance between Steve and I. Both of us had braces, Steve's teeth are fairly soft. My mouth is really small. I had 15 baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth pulled before I had my braces put on. Heredity isn't very nice sometimes. At least Rachel seems to have been blessed with a bigger mouth than I had or the older two have. Hopefully her stuff won't have to be as extensive.
So, tomorrow, Becka is having her cavities filled, her sealants re-done and impression work done to prep her for braces. All of that is almost $1,300.00! I only have to pay 10%, but that is still a lot of money. Jake's appointment is in a couple of weeks and his will be almost $1,600.00!
Tonight at bedtime Jake was asking me a million questions about teeth, and since I didn't know all the answers, he said he was going to be a dentist when he grows up so that he can see what cavities look like. I wish him luck. Maybe he can buy Steve and I a beach house when he grows up, because I will still be paying off his dental bills!!!!