Anyone who knows Ben, loves his sweet gap toothed smile and his cute lisp. What we recently learned, unfortunately, is that he has those endearing traits because he has an extra tooth growing between his top front teeth. But that's not all! We learned a few more interesting facts as we explored this situation:

1. Less than 1% of kids experience this anomoly. 
2. The positioning of the tooth will eventually cause severe damage to his existing root AND will impair the growth of his adult teeth. 
3. He may never be able to correct his lisp due to his current palette shift.
4. Very few oral surgeons will operate on children of his age but most importantly....because it is such a rare condition and because he is a child, only the absolute best insurances will cover a surgery like this. We do not have that insurance. 

The hard part is this... the surgery is not optional and it is somewhat time sensitive. The longer we wait, the more damage the tooth does to the surrounding teeth and roots. Also the longer we wait, the more the tooth sets into the bone which hold our upper teeth causing the surgery to become more risky and complex over time. We are hoping to have him fixed up within a few months.  
We are asking for help from anyone who can afford it. If you cannot afford monetary help we ask that you share this cause to help us reach as many people as possible. Every little bit helps. We would be beyond grateful for any help that is offered and we know Ben would be most grateful.