Can you help me get DD's tooth out ?? Braces question too

[princess crazy]

Hi everyone!

Well, DD has a dentist appointment this Tuesday and the dentist said if she did'nt have the tooth next to her front one out by then that they would help her get it out. We've been trying to work on it every day for the last 3 weeks or so and we've had no luck. It's completely loose in the front but still attached in the back quite a bit. Her new tooth is even already coming in in front of it so it definitely needs to come out. Besides, I've told her I would prefer not to have the added cost of having it pulled by the dentist so she's been working a little more on it---but, we only have a few days until the appointment---Anyone have any good tooth pulling successes??

My other question is about braces. This is part of the reason the dentist wants her to have this tooth out because we are looking at braces for her really bad crooked front teeth. One of her front teeth is actually parallel to her other one so it's not good. If it was'nt so bad we would'nt even be considering braces at this point---she's only 8 years old and I know braces are going to be an arm and leg---plus with no dental insurance it's going to cost us alot that we don't have right now. She has to have this loose tooth out before they will consider doing the braces---in other words she has to have all of those permanent teeth in.

I guess my biggest question is has anyone ever just had their child's top teeth in braces??

The dentist did say they would probably do them in sets---not all at once. Her bottom teeth and the rest of them are fairly straight. It would be good if we could do them not all at once and spread it out but I don't know if they do this these days or not. My DH nor I have ever had braces so we don't know much.

The dentist did say that she would only have them for 6 months????? --This completely surprised me--it seems like kids have them on for much longer than that and also at a much older age but maybe it's because of our DD's age ??? ---I do know the reasoning for our DD's younger age to get braces is because I would'nt want her to go through too many more years with her teeth the way they look now---most of the kids have been very kind to her but it's beginning to bother her lately so the dentist said as soon as this new front tooth comes in we could do it.---but to only have them on for 6 months is a good thing but surprised me that it would'nt take longer.

Would love to hear any insight on the braces situation and how you mangaged them without insurance. Thanks everyone!!

 

[Puffy2]

In all honesty, for an 8 year old, I'd seriously consider getting a second opinion before I put braces on them. I don't care what the first dentist said. and, if it were me, I'd cancel the Tue. apt. until I got that second opinion.


And eventually, the tooth will come out on its own if left alone.

 

[Puffy2]

One more comment and I'm done. Some dentists are not above "creating work" for themselves to line their pockets. One told me that our 6 year old needed two fillings. I wasn't comfortable with having that particular dentist do it, so I took them to my dentist - who, upon viewing the x-rays and an exam told me that my child DID NOT have any cavities. We switched dentists immediately.

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks Puffy2!

I guess I did'nt make it real clear in my message. The appointment we have for Tuesday is actually to fill a cavity--dentist just said if she did'nt have it out by then that they could help her get it out. Even if we can't get it out by then I think I'll just tell her that we will wait to see if she can get it out on her own. She was just going on the fact that an ortho would'nt want to see her until all of the front teeth were in.

We were just considering the braces at this time because our DD is really self concious about her one tooth and to be honest she really does have a reason too--it looks pretty bad---if it was even close to not looking bad we would'nt even be considering braces at this age. It's really too bad because she had the most beautiful baby teeth ---completely straight with no problems--figures

I appreciate your input ---is 8 really too young of an age to even maybe just do her top teeth or is it not wise to do them in sets and maybe wait to do them all together??? I know I've seen many kids in 4th grade with braces and there are a few in her 3rd grade class that either have them or are getting them soon.

 

[dbogen]

My DS 13 first saw the orthodontist at 7. Our dentist wanted us to have a consult because he was loosing teeth that he shouldn't loose until he was atleast 9. The Ortho said it was because his mouth was crowded and we put a space maintainer (permanent retainer) in. Work really wasn't started until almost 2 years later with the braces. They were on for almost 2 years it should have been 1.5 yrs but he broke his leg and we missed a few appintments.

But back to the question, we pulled a few of his teeth so that the adult teeth didn't have to fight and hopefully would come in straighter. I have seen some kids your DD age with braces just on the front 2 teeth, I think they were closing a space and they were not on for long.

So I guess what I am saying is go and get a consult with a few orthos(they shouldn't charge for a consultation) and just get a feel for what they are saying. Ask the moms at school and just go with your gut.

Good Luck
Deanna

 

[AtlantaSue]

I'll share what our recent experience was. We were referred by our dentist (a longtime family friend) to an orthodontist for our 8 year old. Our daughter's situation was that there wasn't enough room for her incoming teeth - and yes, she too, looked a bit funny...ANYWAY - she 1st had an expander; and then braces on the top; then on the bottom for awhile. Then I think the top came off and then the bottom. The whole process took 8 months. She now wears retainers (top and bottom) after school and at night.
We didn't have insurance either, but we just trusted the dentist and the ortho he recommended, so we did it. In theory, she shouldn't have to have braces again - at least that is what the ortho says usually happens in cases such as hers.
I would ask the ortho lots and lots of questions and make sure you are comfortable w/ him; if not, I think a second opinion is a good idea. Good luck to you.

 

[alli'smom]

My DD got her braces when she was 9 - 4th grade. But she looks alot
younger than she is. The Ortho told me she was one of the smallest they
had worked on. She needed them because her top teeth came in front to
back instead of side to side. In other words, the wrong way! She did have
to have a baby tooth pulled before they put the braces on. It only had
to be pulled because the root was so long. They said it looked like a dog tooth it was so long! But for that I had to have an Oral Surgeon
pull it. She had her braces for 3 years - only so long because they were
waiting for all of the permanent teeth to come in.
I have dental insurance but it doesn't cover ortho work. We paid $4100.00
for the braces. $1000.00 up front and then a monthly payment of $124.00 until it was paid off. She'll have retainers until she's an adult but there is
no addl charge for the retainers or any appts.
DH is now in braces (had them as a child, didn't wear his retainers!). His cost $4500.00, $750.00 up front, monthly payment of $150.00. His should be done in 2 years.
Make sure you feel comfortable with the orthodonist you pick. You'll be spending alot of time there!

 

[kbkids]

My DD just went through a very similar situation. Baby tooth wasn't coming out, so adult tooth was growing in and coming out the front of the gum instead of the top. My dentist kept telling me that it would fall out - I really wanted him to pull it - and finally, her orthodontist agreed with me and sent him a letter to pull it. They pulled it this past Monday, no problems at all, even went skating immediately afterwards.

Anyway, what they are going to do with my daughter is give her a retainer to wear at night only just to keep her adult teeth that are grown in from shifting. It will be a couple of years before they start any other treatment on her.

I highly recommend getting a second, possibly third opinion. The first orthodontist I went to wanted to immediately do a palate expander, break her jaw, full set of braces now and then another set later on. Went to a second ortho, who totally disagreed and said to just wait and see. The third ortho (the one we went with) basically is waiting too, but wants to do the retainer as I mentioned above.

Best of luck to you. We've got insurance, but it only pays $1000 total in a lifetime, so we're still stuck with a big chunk! But thankfully, the big bills haven't started yet, so I've got time to save up for it!

 

[jbthi]

My granddaughter had top braces (I think the actual bands were just on her 2 front teeth) when she was seven.

One of her front teeth was almost parellel to the other. I convinced my daughter something needed to be done. She talked to the orthodontist that she works for. She was afraid he would think that she was being overly concerned or to worried about appearances if she wanted braces that young.
He said if she were to fall or get knocked in the mouth it would be very easy to break that tooth and that it would be more serious then.

She had them for a short time (maybe 6 months?). She will need more braces later.

 

[Imzadi]

Try a pair of needlenose pliers to pull the tooth out. I had the same problem & that's what my mom did. Make sure to have plenty of tissues near by as there will be blood everywhere.

Because my tooth grew in behind my old tooth, it meant the ROOT was growing in the wrong place, so yes, I did need braces. The reason the dentist is probably recommending a lower set is because as you move the top teeth in place, you need to shift the lower ones too to line up behind the top ones. They may now be growing out of alignment because the top are so crooked. (At least this was my case.)

Be glad it is only going to be 6 months. It's probably because the roots are young & aren't permanently set in place yet. Most braces are put on older kids & probably the roots are more firmly set & take longer to move & then KEEP in place - so muscle memory (or whatever) doesn't move them back over time, once the braces are off.

That also happened to me. Once I got the braces off at age 14, (wore them for 2 years,) I didn't wear my retainer & that one front tooth that grew in behind the old tooth, moved back AT THE ROOT. I can feel a definite depression at the gum line. I kind of wonder if the root was ever really moved forward properly.

Anyway, because it moved back, it pushed my bottom teeth back too. (Had to make room for the tooth as it moved back.) So after all the braces, my teeth are out of alignment again - top & bottom. (But not due to the dentist, but because of my not wearing the retainer or going back to the dentist to catch it in time.) As an adult, I now have a veneer cap over the top tooth that is pushed back, so the top looks fine, but the bottom teeth are noticably out of alignment.

 

[casey49781]

i pulled my daughters tooth out christmas eve,,it was wedged in between ,it was the one after the front teeth,,,and my dd seen a ortho this past summer, her teeth are bad in the front and she said no one should touch them til a a couple ,,,more come in ,,however she did check to see if she had enough room as she has a small mouth,,,,hope that helps,,,just wait and see,,,

 

[TheRatPack]

Icckk, I have two children and I've never had to pull a tooth They always pull their own, they wiggle and wiggle them and then voila they come out. My son used to come out of the bathroom with tissue in his mouth and when I'd ask him what he did he'd say he pulled his loose tooth. This was when he was maybe 5 or 6 and first started losing them.

All those years of glittery notes from the tooth fairy must have really gave them something to work towards LOL

My childrens pediatric dentist hasn't even discussed braces yet for either of mine and ds is almost 12 and dd is 10. He would pull a few here and there over the years so others would come in straight and really both of them have a beautiful smile. We have another 6 month appointment on April though, so we'll see what they say then

 

[golfgal]

I can see having top braces on for 6 months to rotate the teeth. I have been amazed at how quickly my DS13's teeth have moved with his braces, he got them this past June. I would guess the ortho is thinking of a full set later if needed but since she is 8 and growing fast, her teeth will move quickly.

DS13 also had a stubborn tooth that just wouldn't fall out. The skin around it had attached itself to the tooth. At his teeth cleaning just before he got his braces on the dentist numbed the surrounding skin with a topical and DS was able to pull it out easily because it didn't hurt. He didn't charge us anything for that. Maybe you could try that at home with some Ambisol or other gum numbing over the counter med.

I had some jaw work done when I was in high school and when that was over I had braces for 2 months to pull my teeth down into place a bit, that is all the longer I needed them.

 

[goofyforlife]

ok, now I'm cringing myself at the thought of your pulling her tooth out with plyers...

How about helping it along instead with something more natural: like have her eat an apple or something hard. The tooth would probably fall out on it's own.

I'd suggest corn on the cob but it's not exactly in season. (Corn worked for my daughter for one tooth.)

 

[Imzadi]

ok, now I'm cringing myself at the thought of your pulling her tooth out with plyers...

I also had to have 4 teeth pulled out before I had my braces put on. The dentist used a pair of "dental" pliers which kind of amounts to the same thing. (Of course he used novacaine too.) If the OP is squeemish, like can't handle tweezers to pull out a sliver, , how about the old "remote" method of tying a long string onto the tooth & pulling?

 

[trip]

Tie a long piece of dental floss around the tooth up close to the gum and have her keep pulling on the floss.