Braces question (inspired by the how much thread)

[sookie]

my daughter had phase one on and off already. we did the phase one because we would have had to pull permenant teeth if we had waited until she was older. she has a major space problem, along with a bite problem. she is 9 now - we got them on when she was 7, they were on for almost two years. the improvement is amazing. we do have FLA's on the top and bottom while we wait to put on phase 2. when we started making space it amazed me how quickly her teeth moved into place. and yes the teeth look so much better now going into higher elm and middle school.
i'm a believer. i do have to say that i got my braces on when i was 18 and off when i was twenty, and husband got his on when he was 27 and got them off when he was 30. ouch!

 

[rbork]

I had a severe underbite and crossbite. My parents didn't start treatment until I was 11. I had every contraption known to man from age 11 through age 18 and finally had very expensive corrective surgery (including 8 weeks of having my mouth wired shut and permanent plates and screws in my jaws) because my bones were too mature to be moved by face gear, palate expander, etc. and it was ALL very painful.
Total cost- over $30,000 (did I mention the PAIN?!)

My daughter has the exact same problem (she is now seeing my orthodontist who has showed me my profiles next to hers and the similarity is scary). We had our first consultation at 6 years old, checked back every 6 months until 8 years old then started phase one with the palate expander and face gear. Within 3 months she has fully corrected the crossbite AND underbite and is now in a holding pattern waiting for all of her adult teeth to come in so they can straighten them and be done.
Total cost- about $8000 when we are done, with a little discomfort but nothing close to 8 weeks of agony.

I don't have an opinion about your case, but I know that in my daughter's case it was much easier to take her every 6 months and go the phases route.

Nice to hear someone else had the same stuff done. I was 18 and had braces, hyrax, jaw surgery etc... Best thing I ever did! Wasn't fun going through it but so worth it. People compliment me on my teeth/smile all the time. Everyone is different. Glad to hear your child is having an easier time of it that you did. I on the other hand...took my chances and had them wait until they were 12-13 to start. Thank Goodness, they don't need jaw surgery. Instant mash potatoes through a straw with cheeze whiz was my friend during those 8 weeks when the jaw was wired shut

 

[edk35]

My ds is almost 8 and has an underbite. It has improved as he has gotten older but he will definitely need braces. I was reading the other thread and read "phase 1" and "Phase 2". What does all that mean? When I had braces I had them from the age of 9 - 15 (oh my teeth were horrible)

What age is a good age to go for a 1st consult? Some people have told me I'm too late and others say to wait until he has more permanent teeth (he has 6 adult teeth in the front). FWIW the dentist has said to wait while friends have scolded me for waiting.

I don't want to wait and hear "Why wasn't he here at age 8?" and I also don't want to pay for a phase 1 to then have oit fixed as he grows in a phase 2 (a bunch of people have told me their child had the same treatment twice and they wished they had just done pahse 2)

So, consult now or wait? Thanks!!

My older son did two phases. He first went at the age of 8..... he has had a ton of different treatments. He is now 16. He had teeth pulled, a gum flap cut to bring down a tooth, he had a thing to expand the roof of his mouth (I think they call it a palate expander), he had some brackets put on in 3rd grade...just a few, had various retainers. When he went into full braces ..that was phase 2. He got them off in 8th grade but WENT BACK INTO FULL BRACES THIS PAST JAN. We didn't have to pay anything. He had a BIG growth spurt and messed his teeth all up. He had retainers after retainers after they came out. They even had him in this bite guard thingie at night to close his bite...and that didn't work..teeth started shifting and back he went into braces.

My dd had one phase. Our youngest is 11 and he has had 3 consults for the same ortho and a postcard just came again for another. They have held him off each time by 9 months because he still had quite a few teeth to lose. So every child is different. I would go for a consult...go to 2 or 3 different orthos.

 

[patsal]

We did the two phases with both kids and felt it was totally worth it. No teeth needed to be extracted, cross bite and underbite both fixed for their comfort, phase two was a very quick adjustment and both kids wore no braces at all in high school. Totally worth it to me. Plus just like any other treatment from a professional, I don't have training in that area so I am in no way qualified to suggest that the treatment set forth by the professional and explained to me in a satisfactory way wasnt the best way to go for my children. I am watching some of DD's friends now getting teeth extractions and their braces on as 10th graders...IMHO two phases was way better than that!

 

[LIBLULA]

My DD10 is in phase 2 now. She started phase one when she was almost 8 to fix her bite. They used braces and palate expander. Those were on for a little over a year. Then she had upper/lower retainers until all of her adult teeth came in. She started phase 2 in April--just turned 10. Her smile is beautiful. She's going to be all done with braces by the end of 5th grade.

 

[apnep]

My DD is a graduate of the "phase 1 and phase 2" ortho programs.

The first phase, which included a palete expander for her upper teeth, and a different type of expander for the bottom teeth.

I was absolutely amazed at how quickly her teeth "moved" to the right spot after the month of palete expanding.

My DD9 and my DN 12 both did this. I also, could not believe how straight their teeth were after they came in. DD9 is supposed to do a second phase but at $5000 and no more insurance (because we already used it up on the first phase) I don't know that I wanna do it. I still have my youngest son's mouth to do too in the next couple of years.

With as much $$ as braces cost, I am thinking I shoudl try a second career in orthodontia!

Ang

 

[shaylahc1]

I didn't read all the other posts but wanted to say that my DD is 11 and just recently got braces/appliance for her underbite. The dentist kept pushing for braces, but the orthodontist (and I consulted 2) said that it was better to wait until she had started puberty so we could have a better idea of how her jaw was going to grow. In other words, what good would it have done to put braces on her and then have her hit a huge growth spurt and undo all the work we'd done? In my DD's case she has a mismatched jaw sizes and the orthodontist said until she's all grown up we won't know exactly the best way to fix her teeth. We opted to put braces on her now because we felt there was no more benefit to waiting any longer, but he said he cannot guarantee anything and there is a possibility she may need jaw surgery later on down the road.

Underbites are complicated. With regular braces, yeah, you can start early. But with more severe cases sometimes it is best to wait.

 

[edk35]

I didn't read all the other posts but wanted to say that my DD is 11 and just recently got braces/appliance for her underbite. The dentist kept pushing for braces, but the orthodontist (and I consulted 2) said that it was better to wait until she had started puberty so we could have a better idea of how her jaw was going to grow. In other words, what good would it have done to put braces on her and then have her hit a huge growth spurt and undo all the work we'd done? In my DD's case she has a mismatched jaw sizes and the orthodontist said until she's all grown up we won't know exactly the best way to fix her teeth. We opted to put braces on her now because we felt there was no more benefit to waiting any longer, but he said he cannot guarantee anything and there is a possibility she may need jaw surgery later on down the road.

Underbites are complicated. With regular braces, yeah, you can start early. But with more severe cases sometimes it is best to wait.

My son is going through this now. He got his braces off right before the 9th grade and went back into them this past Dec. He grew soooooooooooo much that it screwed up everything in his mouth. He started having stuff done with his mouth when he was 8. He didn't get full braces until middle school. I am hoping that the kid gets them off in time for Sr. pictures. He will be a Jr. this year.

 

[MinnieGi]

Here it is common for kids to see the ortho around 7, 8 or 9. Depending on what needs to be corrected determines if one or two phases are needed.

DD (9yo) is having two phases. She had severe crowding on the top right that was causing one of her baby teeth to stick straight out of her mouth after her four permanent teeth in the front came in. So in Jan. she had the "turtle" put on - paletal expander. Wow, it created enough space in her mouth that the tooth that had stuck out now is straight down where it is supposed to be!! She also now has extra room for her other permanent teeth to come in. She got the "turtle" taken off in June and four brackets were put on the front teeth and two on the very back molars to hold all the work the "turtle" did in place. She will keep this on until more permanent teeth come in and then the rest of the braces will be put on. Supposedly b/c of the "turtle" work she will not have to have the braces on for a long time!! Phase two will also consist of bottom braces as those front teeth stick in a little.

I'd advise to go to several consultations. Every ortho here does them for free. That way you can see what they recommend and also compare their prices.