Does he really need braces?

[erinclemmer]

My mother worked for an Orthodontist for nearly 30 and it was not uncommon for them to treat patients that had multiple consultations. It's never a bad idea to shop around for the best doctor- price, technique, personality, etc are all important. Their office charged $45 for a consult (your insurance may cover some of that). I would consult several docs to see if they agree or disagree on treatment. It would be interesting if most of them recommend against treatment and one tries to sell you on an expensive course of action. You only want you child treated if he needs it.

I should also add while my mother worked for an Orthodontist, my mother-in-law was a dental hygienist. Both agree my girls will both require braces- as did my mother's employer who knew my girls from birth.

The pediatric dentist we have been seeing since my oldest was 2 said he has never seen so many teeth in such a small mouth (thanks to my hubby and I for the small arches!) But, I say it's better to have too many teeth than too few. You can always pull what are not needed. Be careful of expanding an arch if you child has a great looking face leaving the arch alone might be best.

Even though my oldest is nearly 9 the dentist has not recommended a ortho consult yet because she is not ready. With so many kids getting braces and appliances by 2nd grade ( which I find shocking) I respect that my doc is not pushing my to run for more treatment.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

We had a dentist refer us to a specific orthodontist for my one DSD. We were told to bring them the card and mention where we got it from. Umm, what???

So DH went for a consultation. Hated him. Took her to a different ortho that we fell in love with. He's honest with the kids. Not mean by any stretch of the imagination but honest to the point of being blunt with them. DSD wasn't wearing her rubberbands because they were too much of a pain to deal with. So when the 18 month treatment window closed and the braces were still on she started complaining to him. He told her that he was doing his job but she refused to comply with what needed to be done. The extra 3 months were her own doing and not his!! She came home and complained. I told her to deal with it because the ortho was right!!! I can't believe she even said anything.

We now use him for our younger DD. She has followed his instructions to a T. The ortho was very pleased and told her that. She's is still on track to get them off on time.

 

[Mkrop]

DS15 started braces in 4th grade. DH was very skeptical, said his teeth are fine. Went for the consult, saw from the xrays that DSs jaw wawsw not aligned. If you look in your mouth, that part of your gum in the front should line up with your nose and the bottom part of the gum. When we saw the before and after shots, it was amazing how much was moved over.


DH even went so far as calling his brother who is a dentist 2 hours away, he was so skeptical. Brother asked for all the details, talked at great length about the pros and cons of going through all this pain and expense. This was probably the longest conversation those two have had in ages. They dont get along. But Brother had absolutely no financial gain whatsoever. Even though he and DH do not see eye to eye, I know he would not make DS, his nephew go through all that if it was not necessary.

 

[LisaInNc]

We were just told from an orthodontist that my DD does not need braces.....well, ok! Her teeth are not perfect. They are going to put her on a retainer to reposition what is wrong. Little cost !

I was shocked

Lisa

 

[U2_rocks!]

Naaaah, you're not alone

The fact that very few people are born with perfectly straight teeth and a perfect bite suggests to me that it is no more necessary than a nose job.

This is how I feel as well.

I deliberately went to the ortho that has the reputation of being the least aggressive. He will tell people straight when it's borderline or aesthetic only and give them the choice. I told him up front that I was only interested in true need, unless my kids were unhappy with how they look, so that's the angle he came from when giving his advice. I have elected to only treat DD (11), because the crowding on her bottom jaw is starting to cause her gum to recede from the 2 teeth that stick out the furthest. A receding gum is not a good thing. She is a very small 11, which is why there is such overcrowding. But I feel that she will be a petite person anyway, and her mouth may never accommodate her teeth well. DS (12) has very crooked bottom teeth as well, but the way he smiles they don't show, and they aren't affecting his gum. So we're leaving his alone.

 

[luvmy3]

Naaaah, you're not alone

The fact that very few people are born with perfectly straight teeth and a perfect bite suggests to me that it is no more necessary than a nose job.

I'm waiting for my kids. My daughter's teeth looked like a hot mess as they were starting to fall into place but now at almost 13, after almost everything has come in and shifted around, the problems look minimal. I'll probably pursue something for her top teeth within the next year or so. There is a new program called the 6 Month Smile that looks like it might be just the thing for her. As far as my 3 boys (who are younger)...we'll wait and see how things look when they hit 12 or 13.

And fwiw this whole issue about bad bites causing big problems in an adult makes my eyes roll. Just because people who have complained about TMJ have been more likely to have bad bites doesn't mean that a bad bad is likely to cause TMJ in the future. "Can" it pose problems? I'm sure it can but I'm not paying 6 grand now to prevent something that may, but more likely may not, cause significant problems at some point in the future. To me it's the equivalent of very expensive just in case therapy. I guess I just prefer to deal with problems 'when' they come up.

Not to be overly cynical but orthodontists have a lot to gain from getting you to believe that your teeth need to be perfect. Never forget that.

 

[Agri]

My concern wouldn't even be TMJ, it'd be that an improper bite is going to cause improper wear and tear on teeth and lead to cavities and other issues. Sure teeth can handle a slight misalignment, but if you have genetically weak teeth in the first place having them wear in ways they weren't designed to could cause a lot more pain/problems/money down the road. Dealing with cracks and root canals and crowns can be just as expensive and so much more painful.

Truth is, as with anything medical, it's best to 'shop around' for opinions from doctors. They might tell you they aren't necessary or be able to show you the x-rays and better explain the possible issues than the dentist. My parents took me to three different orthodontists before we chose the one we did.

(Also, in response to another poster, I had braces on in elementary school to help with my crowding issues - they weren't rushing it, they were being proactive as my adult teeth came in so I wouldn't have to have my second set on as long in middle school.)

 

[jeepgirl30]

At DDs last appointment our dentist assistant said "well she is at the age if you want to get braces you can now". I was like ?? Are you saying she needs braces? She kept saying this is the age we like to do it. To me, DD has a great smile. I have another visit coming up and am going to talk to the dentist himself. He is an older guy and very very conservative. If my DD NEEDS braces fine but if its just because she is of age, no way!

We have friends who had braces on their kids baby teeth. I questioned if they needed them to make room and the mom was like no, the were just a mess.

DS had a fall around 18 months and knocked out 5 baby teeth. Our dentist has been outstanding. He put a spacer in around 2 years old. Now DS is 10 and has really bad front teeth but the dentist wants to wait until the others come in. We KNOW we have a long ortho process in our future with him! I'm happy the dentist is conservative and wants to wait and not do it twice or even more.

What our insurance will cover for braces is a joke. So shelling out money for something not needed seems like a waste. For my DD, i'd rather wait and do a whitening treatment for her instead. DS, no question we have to do it. DD agrees btw and does not think she needs braces.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

DS16 just had his braces removed 6 months ago, so I wanted to share our experience and a little warning. If you decide to go forward with the braces find out how many orthodontists work in the office, how many days a week they are there and what percentage of work is done by the orthodontist and what percentage is done by an orthodontic technician.

We signed a contract with an orthodontist who we loved, unfortunately he became ill and passed away during the second year of treatment. The practice was taken over by another orthodontist who had offices elsewhere. He was in the office two days a week and hired two other orthodontists to work with him. You never knew who you would see and they all had different opinions. The techs did all the work and the ortho would come "check you" afterwards. It was difficult to change an appointment or get in for a problem because there were only doctors there two days a week.

At the beginning of the fourth year we knew we would be moving. I told the orthodontist we needed the braces off. Everything was already paid for. He said to make sure he came every six weeks and saw only him, not the other orthodontists. He finally got them off and we moved, but I am pretty skeptical of the whole orthodontic business now. I believe DS's braces took so long because of inconsistent treatment. DD13 is ready for a consultation. She has a lot of space between her teeth in front. She doesn't want to have braces. I think we are going to wait and revisit it in a few months.