DD12- might need braces?????

[dreamin_disney]

DD had her dental appointment yesterday. I also got work done so dh went in with her. He tells me dd12 has some crowding some areas are tight in her mouth, she has a slight overbite and some erosion on her molars and one of her canine tooth(thats what i call it tooth next to front tooth). He was told her teeth arent bad so she might need just phase 1. What is phase 1?

dd's teeth are straight so no crooked or extra teeth(the kind that are growing above the regular tooth(not sure what those are called)

anyways they asked if dd eats lots of lemons or citrus. Dh said no, so dentist said the erosion must be from grinding her teeth. The overcrowding might be a problem once her molars come in and her wisdom teeth so they gave us a referal for a free constalltaion to othro.

any advice for those that have had the same diagnose. Dentist did say dd teeth arent bad though but seeing the ortho will let us know.


my insurance pays $1500 for ortho. Dh doesnt have ortho insurance. I have a flex acct that i will use. We have our appt in Feb. I'm hoping dd doesnt need braces but if she does I will take care of it.

Please let me know what phase 1 is and how long are the phases ? ANy helpful info will be appreciated.


just when i thought i was doing better budget wise-lol!

 

[quentina]

DD had her dental appointment yesterday. I also got work done so dh went in with her. He tells me dd12 has some crowding some areas are tight in her mouth, she has a slight overbite and some erosion on her molars and one of her canine tooth(thats what i call it tooth next to front tooth). He was told her teeth arent bad so she might need just phase 1. What is phase 1?

dd's teeth are straight so no crooked or extra teeth(the kind that are growing above the regular tooth(not sure what those are called)

anyways they asked if dd eats lots of lemons or citrus. Dh said no, so dentist said the erosion must be from grinding her teeth. The overcrowding might be a problem once her molars come in and her wisdom teeth so they gave us a referal for a free constalltaion to othro.

any advice for those that have had the same diagnose. Dentist did say dd teeth arent bad though but seeing the ortho will let us know.


my insurance pays $1500 for ortho. Dh doesnt have ortho insurance. I have a flex acct that i will use. We have our appt in Feb. I'm hoping dd doesnt need braces but if she does I will take care of it.

Please let me know what phase 1 is and how long are the phases ? ANy helpful info will be appreciated.


just when i thought i was doing better budget wise-lol!

This is just my very new understanding as we just had the appt. Phase one is where they stretch the jaw (or something like that) to make room for the teeth to come in properly. I was told that my daughter would have some contraption in her mouth and each night, you crank it with some sort of key. I was also told that the "older" ortho's pull teeth to make room where the "newer" do this contaption thing. We are not sure what we are going to do, I am going to get a second opinion after the 1st of the year. We have amazing dental, they will pay 50% with NO cap

 

[Diabolicdesire]

I've heard of different phases used when children start treatment at younger ages but not sure what that would mean in an almost teen. The braces are suppose to help straighten the bite so I would think that might help with the teeth grinding for your DD.


My DD 13 had a lot of crowding because she has a small mouth.

She saw the Ortho when she was 11 and they started with a palate expander to help widen the top jaw. Then they moved on to Braces on the top front while we waited for a few stubborn baby teeth to fall out and for her overbite to lessen. Next it was full braces.

She just had her Braces removed Monday and will now wear a retainer full time for 3 months and then back to the ortho to make sure everything still looks good. Eventually she will just wear retainer at night and then just occasionally.


I have insurance too but still had to put 800 down and 90.00 a month for two years. They handled all the claims to insurance and worked out the payment plan for the balance. There is not much budget about it but her dental health was worth it and I love her new smile

 

[dreamin_disney]

This is just my very new understanding as we just had the appt. Phase one is where they stretch the jaw (or something like that) to make room for the teeth to come in properly. I was told that my daughter would have some contraption in her mouth and each night, you crank it with some sort of key. I was also told that the "older" ortho's pull teeth to make room where the "newer" do this contaption thing. We are not sure what we are going to do, I am going to get a second opinion after the 1st of the year. We have amazing dental, they will pay 50% with NO cap

a contraption thing that you crank up sounds scarey-lol! Oh My the visual I'm getting.


I want to be prepared with info before going to ortho appt.

1. example: If the braces cost $4500. Does that include everything like tightening up the braces or adjustments. What extra $$ should i expect to pay with braces.



insurance pays $1500 toward braces is that usually $1500 total or per year?

ANy other info that one should know when dealing with the cost of braces.


dd isnt happy about needing braces. I explained to her if she does need them , it's better to get it done now. SHe said there are a few kids that have clear braces, They take them off during lunch then put them back on after eating. ANyone know what she's taking about??

 

[momto2inKC]

a contraption thing that you crank up sounds scarey-lol! Oh My the visual I'm getting.


I want to be prepared with info before going to ortho appt.

1. example: If the braces cost $4500. Does that include everything like tightening up the braces or adjustments. What extra $$ should i expect to pay with braces.



insurance pays $1500 toward braces is that usually $1500 total or per year?

ANy other info that one should know when dealing with the cost of braces.


dd isnt happy about needing braces. I explained to her if she does need them , it's better to get it done now. SHe said there are a few kids that have clear braces, They take them off during lunch then put them back on after eating. ANyone know what she's taking about??

My daughter just got her braces on earlier this month. The part the insurance pays is total, not yearly. So they will pay $1,500 towards her total. At your consultation they will give you a grand total, subtract what the insurance pays, give you a down payment amount, then we had several options for monthly payments, each depended on how much we put down. That *should cover everything. It does with ours.
Here's our breakdown to show you an example- Our total was around $5,200 (don't have the paper nearby to get exact amount). Insurance paid 81%, leaving almost $1,000 left for us to pay. We put $500 down, and have 11 payment of $50 (which includes the Sonicare toothbrush we purchased from the Ortho). She will have them on 2 years (has the top set on now, will get the bottom in a few months). Then she will wear a retainer (all this is included in our price).
I'm guessing when your daughter talks about students 'removing' something during lunch, that's the retainer, braces are 'glued' to the teeth.

Edited- oops, yep, probably the invisiline braces she's talking about!

 

[angierae]

Generally when insurance pays ortho, the $1500 is a lifetime max. My daughter's ortho made us pay the balance in full before they started, or else we had to finance through Care Credit - they did not do in-house payments, and none of the four consults we had did, either. Some people report that their ortho will do them, but we found that that is very uncommon in our area.

Once that was paid, however, we never paid for anything else - adjustments, if she broke a brace off, etc. Everything is covered with that initial amount. (As a matter of fact they under-estimated how much our insurance would pay, and just cut a refund check to my ex.)

If she just needs a palette expander that shouldn't cost as much as the full run. My daughter's braces were over $8000 but we got started late for various reasons - she had to have the teeth pulled because her jaw was done growing and we couldn't spread it out.

 

[angierae]

The "clear braces" are probably the Invisalign, which I'm told (by my orthodontist) that they are basically useless - if Invisalign is enough to help you, you really didn't -need- braces - they are only for people who really, really want "perfect" teeth and have fairly good teeth already.

 

[Crazy Hakim]

There are currently two companies that market "clear braces", Invisalin and ClearCorrect. They both use computer designed clear appliances that fit snugly over the teeth. They are virtually invisible, unless you get really close to look.
I don't agree that they are useless or only for minor adjustments.
Just like traditional braces, they apply pressure to the teeth to gradually move them. With braces, you have wires, and braces that you have on 24/7 for the length of the procedure.
With clear braces, you insert these snug fitting appliances, and only remove them to eat and drink (anything aside water). Every 2-3 weeks, you will change appliances. Just like braces, each appliance gradually moves the teeth toward the desired position. You brush and floss after every meal and before you reinsert the appliances.
They are less noticeable, easier to keep clean, and makes brushing and flossing a simple task.
I suggest you do some research and maybe get a 2nd opinion from somebody that offers this option.

 

[S. C.]

Grandson had to have that contraption. First time it was turned it hurt him and he cried, after that the first time of turning it he said it didn't hurt anymore when turned. He is 18 now and I'm thinking he was around 9 or 10 then.

 

[dreamin_disney]

Grandson had to have that contraption. First time it was turned it hurt him and he cried, after that the first time of turning it he said it didn't hurt anymore when turned. He is 18 now and I'm thinking he was around 9 or 10 then.

oh great! DD has always done great at the dentist but if dh and i have to turn the contraption and it hurts, it will be a struggle.

9-10 is pretty young. I didnt realize you could get braces that young. Ialways thought you had to wait untill all baby teeth were out and permanant teeth in. I'm learning so much.

dh said he can get change his dental insurance to ortho insurance. I think he said the co-payment would be $2300 and the rest would be covered. Mine covers $1500. Not sure if we should change his or do the flex account. I told dh to look into it and get more info

 

[MoniqueU]

I am on my third kid with braces now. We live 45 minutes for disneyland and my oldest daughter got in a razor scooter accident and knocked out 8th teeth including 2 permanent, one of which was implanted back at a local university emergency dental school. So I logically wanted the number one dr, anywhere no matter what it cost or how far I had to drive. Our ortho graduated from harvard and left it up to my oldest daughter whether to have a bridge or all teet moved forward on the bottom where the misisng permanent teeth are. She gets them off monday after 9 flipping years of retainer, braces, specialists etc, so I will try and get some pics of how it turns out. She and my oldest son drove out there and back between the two of them for like 5 years.

My youngest daughter had a consult with him for years but my insurane didn't cover him at the time and the drive was taking its toll, He only mentioned one set of braces but they like you to put 1950 dollars down. I opted for my last child to stay 10 minutes from my house and she is finishing up phase one and had the palae expander. Phase one is 1800 bucks and no clue what phase 2 will cost or if they will put more brackets on?

So based on my experience you can shop around if your child doesn't have huge issues. My youngest had a ton of crowding and has a tiny mouth but cost and convience won out over a long ride and a pricey ortho.

Also here retainers are 300 to 400 bucks and it is a seperate cost in between phase one and two. I just shelled out 700 extra dollars this month to my oldest daughters ortho so she can get them off sooner, they won't take them off til it was paid in full. HOLY SMOKES. Now I have to scramble for the youngest dr's braces.You are lucky to have insurance that pays so much, jump on that as fast as you can as my DH just switched companies and we don't have dental right now and I am not sure if they pick up anything after you have started the process?

Also if the reccomend getting your wisdom teeth out do not wait on hat, I was told my son had to have them out but didn't relize my dental covered most of it. I was on vacaiton in Las Vegas when i got the call that my son was having major issues and had to make a 4 hour drive back home and scramble to make an immediate appt. He missed a week o school when I had intened him to get them over Christmas vacation. Right in the middle of senior year and football season he missed all that time.

ETA the palate edpander didn't hurt my youngest in the least little bit, she said it would just feel tigher in her mouth. She is a huge baby so if it hurt i would of never heard the end of it. The hardest part was actually figuring out for her how to turn in correctly. She coulldn;t do it herself.

 

[Leajess99]

a contraption thing that you crank up sounds scarey-lol! Oh My the visual I'm getting.

I want to be prepared with info before going to ortho appt.

1. example: If the braces cost $4500. Does that include everything like tightening up the braces or adjustments. What extra $$ should i expect to pay with braces.



insurance pays $1500 toward braces is that usually $1500 total or per year?

ANy other info that one should know when dealing with the cost of braces.


dd isnt happy about needing braces. I explained to her if she does need them , it's better to get it done now. SHe said there are a few kids that have clear braces, They take them off during lunch then put them back on after eating. ANyone know what she's taking about??

My son actually had teeth pulled and then the braces put on. He did not have a palate expander or anything like that. His teeth were in braces for not quite 2 years and look awesome. He had his wisdom teeth out back in May so that they would not cause any issues. He does have retainers to wear but he is happy with his teeth and never gives me issues.

My 12 year old has already gone through a small set of braces due to the way her front top teeth had come in. She will be getting a full set of braces soon due to her crossbite or underbite or whatever it is called.

As for erosion, that could also be a result of any type of sour candy or gummies as it is very hard to get that off the teeth. You could try using the kids Pronamel toothpaste to help rebuild the enamel. My 12 year old used to grind her teeth and I grind my teeth. It has nothing to do with the teeth location for us. I have TMJ as well.

 

[southern_redhead]

DD8 has the palate expanders (top and bottom) she got them in the summer and will wear them for a year. We don't turn anything. It had tension built into it and just slowly expands the palate. Thank goodness because I wasn't thrilled with the idea of cranking anything LOL

She doesn't want to get braces BUT if she still needs them when this comes off she WILL be getting them - we paid $400 down and $120 a month (for 12 months) so she's going to finish this up like it or not I should have had a palate expander, ended up having horrendous dental problems requiring oral surgery, 5 years in braces, and a specialist. All because two teeth didn't fall out and the permanent ones "flipped up" instead of coming down. So look into it carefully but, at 12, I wouldn't be wasting time. I was about that age when we found out my teeth were messed up and was 15 when I got braces. Being 20, getting married with braces, etc..was not fun.

 

[dreamin_disney]

MoniqueU- Thanks for the info. I didnt plan on the retainer costing extra so I'll have to add that to flex if she does need braces. Wisdom teeth will come out when its time. I waited to long for mine and it wasnt good. I also have an overbite and never have been told i need braces. I always get asked if i had braces-lol! I've never had braces-lol!

My son actually had teeth pulled and then the braces put on. He did not have a palate expander or anything like that. His teeth were in braces for not quite 2 years and look awesome. He had his wisdom teeth out back in May so that they would not cause any issues. He does have retainers to wear but he is happy with his teeth and never gives me issues.

My 12 year old has already gone through a small set of braces due to the way her front top teeth had come in. She will be getting a full set of braces soon due to her crossbite or underbite or whatever it is called.

As for erosion, that could also be a result of any type of sour candy or gummies as it is very hard to get that off the teeth. You could try using the kids Pronamel toothpaste to help rebuild the enamel. My 12 year old used to grind her teeth and I grind my teeth. It has nothing to do with the teeth location for us. I have TMJ as well.

Dh asked if sour gummies, chili potato chips could cause it and was told no.I will look forf the tooth paste you mentioned


I also didnt realize each phase cost different amounts of money- oh boy!

 

[mjkacmom]

We go to a one phase only orthodontist. If you want to use your flex account, either put enough in to pay upfront (you will get a discount from your orthodontist), or figure out the whole year's payment. All of mine need braces (some are worse than others), and we've almost paid for dd14's ($6300 - insurance covers $1500). I'm surprised you haven't been there yet, with the crowding issue. Dd had a palate expander on by the age of 10.

 

[mjkacmom]

My son actually had teeth pulled and then the braces put on. He did not have a palate expander or anything like that. His teeth were in braces for not quite 2 years and look awesome..

Was this a long time ago, or did he start late? Personally, I've had 6 permanant teeth pulled (10 including wisdom), because that's how they did it back in the day. Now, all of the orthodontists here use the expanders, and only pull teeth if it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Diabolicdesire]

The retainer was included in my DD total. Now if she looses it I will have to pay for a replacement. I guess it varies for region to region. We are in NC.

 

[mblaesing]

We saw the orthodontist when my dd was 7. He took x-rays and pictures then but he just kept an eye on her for the next 2 years. We went every six months. I never paid anything until she actually had the palatte expander put in.

Then we paid one total amount and that covers all of her phase one treatment. She had to have the expander for 10 weeks I think and then a retainer was put in. She has the kind that doesn't come out!!! I was thankful because I feared her losing it!!

Also, when she is ready for phase 2 (around age 12 he said), then they will apply half of what I paid for phase 1 to the cost of phase 2. I have been socking the money away in my HSA to cover the cost up front cause they do offer a small discount.

 

[fakereadhed]

No one ever listens to me(I need a t-shirt with that) but we shopped around and the one in our area with the best results just follows the kids until they are "facially mature". I keep hearing that kiids get better results when their palates are expanded earlier, but I'm not convinced. My DD had terrible overbite, crooked teeth and did the palate expander and the whole nine yards in 18 months in her teens. Here are the results in her senior pics.
http://rememberwhenphotographybykristi.com/blog/?p=1824

Why do they want to fix the slight crowding when her jaw is still growing? I would get a second and third opinion.

 

[ceecee]

At that age, her permanent teeth should all be in and that usually means there would be no phase I, some orthos do that and others do not. Get several consultantions they are free.