My 6 year old DD just asked.........

[DisneyPhD]

I wonder when I am going to get braces??????

We were talking about how we were taking her 11 year old cousin to the dentist this afternoon, but she didn't have to worry, the appointment wasn't for her. She does have to go in a few weeks though (they go to the same dentist.)

So then she asked out of the blue "I wonder when I am going to need braces." I about died. She her perfectly fine normal teeth, sure they might get bad when she gets older, but there is on reason to think that now. Her older cousins both have braces now (15 and 16.) No one has ever said anything about it to her.

I guess I should start saving now.

 

[freckles and boo]

Don't feel bad. My seven-year-old asked for a bra a couple days ago. There is a girl in her first-grade class who is overweight and also very tall who wears a bra and my tiny little munchkin asked if she could have one, too. Um, no.

 

[goofinoff]

Don't feel bad. My seven-year-old asked for a bra a couple days ago. QUOTE]



My DD6 always wants to put mine on!! Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read that!!
I was getting out of the shower one day and she said "Mommy has big ****ies and I have little ****ies but some day I'll have big ****ies too" I think she was 4 when she said it!! I almost died!!!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Don't feel bad. My seven-year-old asked for a bra a couple days ago. QUOTE]



My DD6 always wants to put mine on!! Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read that!!
I was getting out of the shower one day and she said "Mommy has big ****ies and I have little ****ies but some day I'll have big ****ies too" I think she was 4 when she said it!! I almost died!!!

I have heard my DD say something very close to that before.

 

[freckles and boo]

Bras are definitely cheaper than braces! I used to put aluminum foil on my teeth (this was in the days before "grilz") when I was a kid because I wanted braces. It really hurt when it hit a filling.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Bras are definitely cheaper than braces! I used to put aluminum foil on my teeth (this was in the days before "grilz") when I was a kid because I wanted braces. It really hurt when it hit a filling.

I remember doing that too, with the same results (thank goodness I never had braces, but did have a killer retainer.)

I really wanted a bra too when I was around 10 years old. I was skinny, tiny and no curves until I was much older too. DD will be the same way.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

My DD 8 just got a retainer on her bottom teeth and will get braces on her top teeth in two weeks. I knew her mouth was going to be messed up from the very first tooth that broke gums.

She has a horrible underbite and crowding in her mouth, and the dentist felt like we should start working on it now rather than waiting for the other teeth to come in.

Unfortunately, she will probably have to get braces a second time when all her adult teeth come in.

As for the bras, I've always given my girls the opportunity to wear bras from the day they grow into the smallest size. I can remember how traumatic getting my first bra was--and it was much later than when my chest started growing. I was embarassed and felt like my mother was torturing me by not getting me one earlier. I also allow my girls to wear deoderant.

My rule of thumb for those items: if it's personal care/cleanliness, they can have it. That does not extend to makeup and clothing to the extent that they seem older than they are.

 

[DisneyPhD]

DD told her cousin the other day that she was playing so hard her shirt got sweaty under her arms. She wasn't smelly though, and has very long hair that she will complain now her neck gets sweaty when it is down and hot out.

It was funny she was telling this cousin who is now 15 years old. I had to chase her around with a bottle of deodorant when she was 10. She gets it now.

DD got my hairy legs too, I feel the shaving early issue coming our way too. Still she is only 6 (last week.) give me time!

 

[freckles and boo]

in.

As for the bras, I've always given my girls the opportunity to wear bras from the day they grow into the smallest size. I can remember how traumatic getting my first bra was--and it was much later than when my chest started growing. I was embarassed and felt like my mother was torturing me by not getting me one earlier. I also allow my girls to wear deoderant.

My rule of thumb for those items: if it's personal care/cleanliness, they can have it. That does not extend to makeup and clothing to the extent that they seem older than they are.

I agree about the bra/hygiene thing. When she needs one we will get one right away. Right now she only wants one because the coolest kid in her class has one!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I've done a lot of babysitting, and EVERY kid gets braces. Every single one. I have yet to meet one who escaped it! Absoutely perfect looking straight teeth are expected of every kid, and it seems that no kid's "natural" teeth are good enough. So yes, start saving for braces now - the orthodontists won the war years ago!!

Sadly braces are a "class" issue - the low-income kids (where the parents couldn't afford it) are the ones most likely to have crooked teeth as adults, and their face will show it to the world. And I think kids pick up on this, at least the ones I know do! I know kids as young as six begging for braces, because it's the rich/pretty/popular kids who they see with braces (and then later look great with perfect teeth), and they want to be like that, too! It's the "in" crowd with braces nowadays!

No comment on the bra issue .... I don't have a DD!

 

[Becky2005]

My DD 8 just got a retainer on her bottom teeth and will get braces on her top teeth in two weeks. I knew her mouth was going to be messed up from the very first tooth that broke gums.

She has a horrible underbite and crowding in her mouth, and the dentist felt like we should start working on it now rather than waiting for the other teeth to come in.

Unfortunately, she will probably have to get braces a second time when all her adult teeth come in.

Doing that right now with my 13 year old (and YES, she still has a lot of baby teeth! Taking after me for that one! I ended up having a bunch pulled, if it weren't for me getting cavities in them who knows how long I would have had them. I know I was in Junior High, would get a cavity in a baby tooth & the dentist would yank it out since he saw no reason to do a filling on a baby tooth!).

We knew DD was going to have braces though before she was even referred. We are having to do it in 2 phases. Right now she only has braces on her top teeth & they *MAY* come off Wednesday. It was supposed to be 14 months. Her 14 months was up in December but she still has them on. The orthodontist says it's taking so long because she has such small teeth they are having to do things in smaller steps. She will get a retainer to wear at night and basically once all her adult teeth finally come in will go to phase 2 and get braces on both her top & bottom teeth.

Now my 10 year old has really straight teeth but he does have a bit of a gap between his front teeth, I'm not sure if that will close on it's own or if we will need some braces there. Even if we do, his treatment has to be much quicker than DD's!!!

Unfortunately, I can tell already that DS 6 is going to need braces & I'm trying to figure that one out as he has oral sensory issues. The kid is going to have to be knocked out to survive getting the braces on or even adjustments after seeing DD's. He *barely* tolerates getting a cleaning (and that's usually with lots of stops and nearly gagging).

We had to pay outright too as we don't have dental insurance. OUCH!

It does seem to be an "in" thing to do it young but probably because of the 2 phases that some orthodontists use. I've heard pros/cons on that. In our case, it was definitely necessary (DD had a tooth that was perpendicular and hadn't moved in a year so needed some help along with a few other issues!)

 

[aprilgail2]

Unfortunately, I can tell already that DS 6 is going to need braces & I'm trying to figure that one out as he has oral sensory issues. The kid is going to have to be knocked out to survive getting the braces on or even adjustments after seeing DD's. He *barely* tolerates getting a cleaning (and that's usually with lots of stops and nearly gagging).

)

My daughter (7) is like that too but once they used sweet air on her she is fine. She had 2 teeth pulled the other day and they gave her "sweet air" but what she didn't know was this time they lowered it to just about all just air and she was fine. Since the gagging etc is all in her head she feels like the sweet air (even if its just air) helped her.
She will be getting braces too, her teeth are terrible. We have an orthodontist appointment coming up soon, many of her friends in her class have already started with the pallate expanders, the night time headgear etc. My nephew got his on in 3rd grade and by 6th grade he was all done with beautiful teeth and many of his classmates were just starting to get theirs.