Our eleven year old is going under the knife, or the pliers, or the bendy, metal thing (I really should have paid attention at the consultation).

 
I find myself feeling really uneasy about this surgery.

 
She just turned eleven and she’s having four, healthy, adult teeth removed to make room for the teeth she already has and those we are still expecting at some magical time of the Tooth Fairy’s choosing.

 
Why did we have spacers put on her teeth when she was seven? For the same reason, more space, teeth coming in, jaw not big enough, fasting, anesthetic, ugh.

 
I’ve been asked by a few friends if I’ve gotten a second opinion.

 
We have been told by our family Dentist that this problem should be addressed.

 
We then met the Orthodontist (on our family Dentist’s referral) who then referred us to an Oral surgeon.

 
All-things-oral suggest this is a necessary surgery to make my eleven year old have the world’s most perfect smile (in roughly two years…if she flosses….and doesn’t get hit in the face with a puck).

 
Do these Dentists, surgeons, Ortho friends all know each other? Do they play on the same hockey team? The thought has crossed my mind. Why am I so cynical?

 
While they tell me, “You don’t have to do this, you could wait.” I always feel as though I hear them mumble, “But your child will look like a baby gorilla for the rest of her life if you do.”

 
I worry about unnecessary surgery. I worry that we’re doing all of this without being totally clear on how she might look in two years if we did wait. I worry about my child being put under anesthetic. Is there an app out there to test how she’ll take it?

I’m not concerned if the avatar is in her image, maybe just similar height and adorable freckles.

 
I hear a small voice inside my head saying, “Man up!” (and another from the feminist part of my brain asking, “Why isn’t it ‘Human’ up?!” and being mad about that for 15 seconds).

 
My job as her parent is to guide her and fix what I can and be there for her when she comes out of surgery.

 
We were told to bring spare clothes, “just in case.”

 
In case what?