Deep thoughts

My peers in the mothering world are beginning to navigate the world of orthodontics. And it brings the question to mind for me:

Why is it that we Americans feel we have the right to criticize the ancient Chinese right of binding a woman's feet but we feel no similar outrage at the practice of widening a child's bite or palette to make room for more teeth. In the end, aren't both practices for appearances?

One could argue that the act of binding a woman's feet is also crippling whereas the act of placing hardware in a child's mouth to widen the set of the jaw is to improve the fit and therefore efficiency of the jaw. But something about the practice brings the same horror to my mind.

We'll see how I feel when presented with these same dental problems in my own kids. . .