When you think about special moments spent bonding with your newly adopted daughter, does teeth brushing come to mind? I wrote a blog a couple of months ago about our 10-year-old daughter finally getting her braces. Here is the link if you want some background. Has Your Adopted Daughter Dreamed of Braces? She was a bit young to have braces but she had lost all of her baby teeth. Her excitement helped to rush the process a little. I have never met anyone so ecstatic about getting braces. She couldn’t wait to be adopted so she could get her braces.

She also was doing a great job of taking care of her teeth. Something we worked very hard on during her years as a foster child. Therefore, the orthodontist, Super Dad and I, decided she was mature enough to get them on early. We had several appointments to get everything ready. She did not even gag once when they put the molds in her mouth. You know the ones that are too large so they cut into your lips and gums. They are also filled with a goo that is somewhere between pudding and Play-Doh and trickles down your throat.

During the month of preparations, they praised her oral hygiene just as the hygienist had been doing at her semi-annual cleanings. The day arrived when they put all of her braces on, top and bottom. She chose black rubber bands for her first color. She smiled at everyone she saw whether she knew them or not. It made us feel good about making a dream come true.

Then I took her back 30 days later for adjustments and new colored rubber bands. The orthodontist called me to the back to show me the goo on her teeth. They threatened to remove her braces because it can cause decalcification. They suggested at first that I bring her in daily for brushings. Not with gas prices what they are.

Then the orthodontist, who has never adopted a child, but became a parent for the first time as he neared his fiftieth birthday made a suggestion. He suggested special mommy and daughter time for teeth brushing. He said have her lay her head on your lap, looking up at you, while you brush her teeth. How insightful of him. She isn’t brushing any better so maybe she is enjoying it. It does seem to be helping her behavior.



Photo Credit: 2008 Buck Fuller.