Braces and More Braces for My Sister
何度も矯正した!?
I consider myself very lucky because I have straight teeth and have never had braces. The only person in my family to have braces was my older sister. She has “big teeth for a small face”. In other words, crowded teeth. As all good parents are, my parents took my sister as a teenager to an orthodontist. She needed to have some teeth removed to make room for the straightening. After a few years of discomfort, her teeth were straight and her smile was fabulous! Wonderful, except that she had to wear a retainer at night to keep her teeth straight. Being the typical teenager, my sister was not the best at doing that. She didn’t wear a retainer at night.
After a while, her teeth began shifting. My parents took her to get braces again with strict instructions to wear her retainer afterwards again. After another year, her teeth were perfectly straight again. But again, my sister did not wear her retainer as she should have and her teeth shifted again. This time, my parents gave up.
aaaaaYears later, as a young adult, my sister was ready to have straight teeth. This time, she had to pay out of her own pocket. It was her 3rd time doing that. However, things are different. Wearing a retainer at night? Yes! Forever? Absolutely!
As young patients with crooked teeth come in, parents ask about fixing their child’s smile. Most of the time, the teenagers don’t want to be bothered. I always use my sister as an example. I tell the kids honestly, “Many parents cannot afford to have their children get braces. You’re very lucky and loved! like my sister. If you don’t get braces now; by the time you’re older, you’re on your own to pay for it. It seems like a pretty obvious choice to me to have parents paying for it!”
After listening to my sister’s story, I haven’t had one teenage patient still say “no”. Their parents always ask, “How did you convince them to get braces when we couldn’t?” I reply, “You have smart kids, we discussed it and they simply made the decision themselves!”
But remember, when it’s all done and fabulous, retainer at night? Yes! Forever? Absolutely! No need to go through this 3 times like my sister did.
（次回は９月第２週号掲載）
〈Keyword〉
braces ： 矯正のための装具
crowded teeth ： 歯が密集している
orthodontist ： 歯科矯正医
（「WEEKLY Biz」2013年8月10日号掲載）
〈プロフィル〉Dr. Clara Lee ニューヨーク大学歯学部卒業。ニューヨーク大学ブルックデール病院でチーフレジデンス修了。13年以上に及ぶ臨床経験は一般歯科、コスメティック、インプラントを含む。インビザライン認定医。Waterside Dental Care院長として古山医師と共に、多くの日本人患者さんを治療。Dentistryをこよなく愛している。記事提供：Waterside dental Care（Tel：212-683-6260）
