Braces for 11 y/o questions...

[goofy4tink]

I remember this being discussed awhile back but can't find what I needed doing a search..so....
My dd, now 11, had a palate expander when she was 6ish. We knew very early on that she had a very small mouth and this would happen. So, palate expander for a year or so. Then she had upper braces for a year and a half. Those came off and she had a retainer that she wore for awhile during the day then only at night. Then That was stopped last summer. I was told that her mouth still needed 'minor' adjustments, so braces are supposed to be going back on, in two days. Of course dd is really concerned that she will have there for two years and then they will come off and she will need new ones a year after that. Poor thing.

My question for you that have been down this road....Have any of you been in this situation and just not done the braces and waited for a few years to see how it all shakes out? I'm not flat out saying that the orthodontist is just looking for any little thing to adjust but it seems that every other kid now has braces. I did when I was a teen-ager so I know they are needed. It's not so much a matter of cost either. We have insurance that will cover most of it. I just don't want to put my dd thru this yet again only to find that her teeth would have been 'almost perfect' without the braces!!! She got her perm. teeth very early on, so she was able to start the whole braces thing earlier than most. Now I wonder if that was such a good idea, since she is still looking at braces into her teens.

I am so confused at this point. Any thoughts, advice out there? Thanks.

 

[danacara]

I think that by all means, the two of you are more than deserving of a second opinion, to settle your mind ...

How bad do they look? If they're in, and they're crooked, they aren't going to move into a straighter position naturally ...

 

[boucheresq]

I had the expander and braces as a young child and my braces came off when others were just getting them on (age 10). I then wore the retainer until I was 21 as the ortho prescribed. Now, at 32, the split in b/w my two front teeth has returned and my teeth have somewhat moved back to the original position. I just wanted to warn you that this is a possibility.

 

[goofy4tink]

Her eye teeth were pretty crooked but the last set of braces really moved them into place. Evidently she has 'large' teeth. They look pretty good to me, but I'm no expert.

 

[goofy4tink]

I had the expander and braces as a young child and my braces came off when others were just getting them on (age 10). I then wore the retainer until I was 21 as the ortho prescribed. Now, at 32, the split in b/w my two front teeth has returned and my teeth have somewhat moved back to the original position. I just wanted to warn you that this is a possibility.

Oh bother...this is what I'm afraid will happen!!!

 

[Kirby]

I would get a second opinion. It wouldn't hurt.

 

[rascalmom]

DH is a dentist and we've now been through braces with both dd's. There are a lot of varying schools of thought on ortho. I would get another opinion. The idea of early intervention is to reduce or shorten the need for braces later as well as too manage growth in someone whose mouth may be too small. Don't let anyone pull permanent teeth except for wisdom teeth. It will flatten out the appearance of their face later in life & can lead to TMJ problems.

Good luck!

 

[Sleepy]

Not trying to take over the topic, but I do have a question about braces. We have known for several years that my son would need braces. The dentist told us that he would have to wait until all baby teeth had been pulled and adult teeth were in place. I have seen children who do not fall under this category and they have braces already. My son still has 3 more teeth to go and he is 12 years old. Given the fact that some kids get braces when they have missing teeth, would it be safe to say that it does not straighten the perm teeth any faster than if you wait until all teeth have surfaced? Afterall, those unsurfaced perm teeth are still going to come in crooked since they have nothing guiding them in place. Anyone with a better understanding, please explain. I'm doing as my dentist instructed and as I recall, there were no kids in my elementary school with braces when I was a kid. Now it seems 3rd and 4th graders have braces. I just don't see the point.

 

[The LK 4]

Don't let anyone pull permanent teeth except for wisdom teeth. It will flatten out the appearance of their face later in life & can lead to TMJ problems.

This is why we are getting a second opinion this week on DD's teeth. They want to pull 4 of her permanent teeth, saying that her mouth is too crowded. She's only 9!!!! She's already been through phase 1, and the dentist feels it is time for phase 2. I hope we hear better news on Wednesday.

 

[Cinderellagrl]

Don't let anyone pull permanent teeth except for wisdom teeth. It will flatten out the appearance of their face later in life & can lead to TMJ problems.

Good luck!

My DD has been through a WHOLE lot of dental problems. She just had her permanent eye teeth removed and a permanent tooth on the bottom. It was unavoidable. She also has a very small mouth...been through the expander ordeal...has the braces on. Sometimes, depending on the situation, if they do not remove teeth to make more room, the teeth will not straighten out because they will not have the room to straighten. I've had 3 opinions from 3 different orthos on my daughter & so far I feel like I've made the right decision by allowing them to remove some permanent teeth. But it all depends on the situation.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My mother never thought I needed braces until I got them in college on my own dime. It took about 5 months before all of my teeth on the bottom row were wired b/c of all the overcrowding. They had to use a band hooked to a bracket on my front tooth that connected to a tiny bracket on the inside of one of the culprit teeth for about a month or so to get it to stand up some. Funny b/c my mom always thought that if a smile looked normal that one did not need braces. She changed her tune once she saw me wired (though I still had to pay for it ). I actually had minor functional problems--though nothing that affected Quality of Life...my top front and bottom front didn't meet--so eating things off of things (like chicken and corn on the cob) was much easier if I just removed though food from what it was attached to and then ate it. With my mouth open--my bottom row looked the outline of the shape of a figure eight. The parts where it curved in--my teeth were sitting on their side. I totally thought they'd have to pull teeth and they did not.

Sounds like you need a second opinion from another orthodontist.

As far as retainers--those need to be worn for life--nightly if you can--I put mine in once a week every week or so. If you stop wearing it permanently--your teeth will try to move back into their old positions. People who've had braces and had the retainer but stopped using it, their teeth went back to their old position. It wasn't faulty orthodontia--it was lack of a retainer and moving teeth. Teeth move. If you continue to wear your retainer--they won't move.

When I was pregnant with DD2, the morning sickness was so bad and my gag reflex so sensitive--I couldn't wear my retainer..as soon as I could (about 4 months later)--I tried to get the retainer back on and I had to force it on...I immediately made an appointment with my Ortho who adjusted the retainer and said that I did the right thing. It will be $800 to correct the slight shift--and when I have that kind of money, I will certainly fix it..it just bothers me that a tooth is out of place and it feels so weird. Nothing too drastic--but since I paid out of my pocket for my braces--I'm just upset that I was unable to wear my retainer to prevent the shift.

You can always splurge for ceramic brackets for your daughter to camoflague the appearance of braces--but you must keep on tops with the teeth brushing and avoid things that might stain them. There is also technology out there for smaller brackets (my ortho has pamphlets on this) and some cases where they can put brackets on the inside of the teeth.

 

[Nette]

I also have a very small mouth and went through the expander at about 6ish. I had a cross-bite and an overlapped palette. I remember it really hurting when it had to be tightened. I had to wear another device (non-removable) after the expander came out for a while, but no retainer or anything after that.

I've been told by some dentists/orthos that I need braces and others that I am lucky to have such straight teeth. The only permanent teeth I have had removed were my wisdom teeth. That poor surgeon he had rather large hands and I have a really small mouth.

If you think your DD teeth look ok... and that she won't hate them later on for not being 100% perfect, hold off on the braces... She can always get them later (or those clear things that work like braces).

 

[disneygals]

for sleepy...I think it depends on the exact problem. My oldest dd 12.5 had the expander at 9 to correct a cross-bite, just now got braces as she is slow losing teeth, her teeth are not that bad, just a bit crooked and crowded. My youngest, 8.5 just got braces on her front 4 because they grew in behind front teeth before they fell out. They will only be on for 3-4 mos, then a retainer and then wait and see. My middle dd is FINALLY getting her front teeth, very slow! I'd get a 2nd opinion if you're not sure that waiting is the answer.

Goofy4tink...I agree with others that you should get a 2nd opinion. My friend's dd had horrific teeth and misaligned jaw and she's 17.5 and they still say there's more they could do for her. They made the decision to stop.