Why Photos of Josie Duggar Have ‘Counting On’ Viewers Concerned for Her Health
The Duggar family has fascinated fans for years, and we can thank Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar for bringing their massive clan into the spotlight. Together, the Christian fundamentalist parents have 19 children, and we’ve loved watching them grow up, marry and have families of their own. Not all of the Duggar kids are adults however — and the youngest member of the family, Josie, is just 9 years old.
We know Josie best for her dramatic entrance into this world, as she was born prematurely and almost didn’t make it. She pulled through, however — and nine years later, fans are loving hearing updates on how she’s doing. It seems some are growing concerned for her health based on photos, however — and here’s why.
Michelle and Jim Bob have stated the importance of dental care in the family
Before we get into the details on Josie, it’s important to note that the Duggars seemingly take their dental care quite seriously. According to In Touch Weekly, Michelle explained on 19 Kids and Counting what was most important to account for in her family’s finances according to her and Jim Bob. As she said, “We’re going to make sure that we’re at the dentist for our check-ups and our cleaning appointments and all of that. And if they need braces and what-not, we’re going to do this.”
Dental hygiene is no-doubt important, but orthodontics are certainly expensive — and many were surprised the Duggars took their teeth so seriously. In Touch additionally noted that over half of the Duggars had braces growing up. And fans recall the episodes where Michelle explains how exciting the dentist office is for her kids. “It’s like going into wonderland, it’s like a fun place,” she said. Even Michelle herself has had braces twice.
Fans are concerned by what Josie’s teeth look like
For all of the dentist visits and clean teeth talk we’ve heard from the Duggars over the years, fans are majorly concerned that Josie may not be getting her teeth cared for in the same way her brothers and sisters have. Reddit users have noted Josie seems to need braces already, and others noticed her teeth seemed to be seriously discolored judging from the photos they’ve seen. As one fan posted to Reddit, “Looks like one of her front teeth is dead in whatever picture they posted. Could just be shadow, though.” And others have noticed that since she was born prematurely, she may need extra dental care. “Premies often have quite bad teeth,” one Reddit user noted. “I don’t know the medical cause but all the premies I know IRL have needed dental surgery under a general around age 8.”
Others on Reddit have come to the Duggar family’s defense, however. The original poster of the thread noted that Josie is still very young and has plenty of time for braces if she needs them. As far as tooth discoloration is concerned, many others also noted that heavy antibiotic use in her childhood could have led to this, and it doesn’t necessarily mean her teeth are in bad health. “They have always taken good care of their kids teeth and I’m sure precious baby Josie will get regular dental and orthodontic care as well,” another user commented.
Jill Duggar has also gotten flack for her kids’ teeth
Despite the Duggars’ history with dental hygiene, it seems fans are slamming Jill Duggar after seeing the state of her children’s teeth, too. Jill posted a series of photos on Instagram while she was shopping with her two little boys. “Shopping with the boys for Israel’s new toothbrush and toothpaste reward he earned after he finished a school book,” she captioned the post. While her fans made fun of her for giving a toothbrush as a “reward,” others were upset by what her kids’ teeth looked like.
As one of her followers commented on the post, “Maybe too late for the toothbrush.” Another added, “Your baby’s tooth looks a little dark girl. Maybe an infection? Id get it checked out.” Given Jill’s childhood with good dental hygiene, however, many came to her defense and trusted she knew how to take care of her sons’ teeth.
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