Get a Backbone

For quite some time now I have been noticing that just about every adolescent has some sort of orthodonture, be it full on braces, or retainers. These things aren't cheap. At 2500-3000 dollars a set, they can set a family back a little. There used to be headgear when I was growing up, then railroad trax, then single trax, now invisible bracing. With each new technology for mass and ease of production, you would think that these things would become less expensive, but no. If you have more than one child in need, you must put up your house !

With all the boomers trying to stave off ageing, I now see braces on people in their 40's and 50's. Mostly because they are on their 2nd or 3rd marriage and want to LOOK their best. I call it, "the peacock syndrome". Anything for vanity....People put so much effort into what can be seen, but so little in what lies underneath, at their core. I asked a patient the other day why they spent so much money on braces, and their response was, "because I want healthy teeth"...wow, bracing makes your teeth healthy ? That is great marketing. I thought brushing and flossing made your teeth healthy...my bad. She then said, "It's what people see",. and there it was. The answer to why people don't take the same care of their spines. People don't see them, they are not visible. If you can't see it, it must not be real, or at least important. Kind of blows a hole in atheism. If we wore our spines on our outside I bet that all of us would be at the chiropractor regularly making sure it was straight and strong, all aligned, just like our teeth. Everyone would have backbone. Pay more attention to what is never seen and it will never let you down. Don't let your health fall like Rome. We tune our cars, regular oil changes, maintain our homes, and our appearances. So, get a backbone and take care of yours.