My 7-year-old needs to see the orthodontist! Budget breaker?!

[taximomfor4]

My oldest dd's ortho teaches it at a really excellent college. He is adamantly opposed to the 2-phase thing. His admin assistant told me that in the 16 yrs she has worked for him, she has only seen him do a 2-phase treatment plan on TWO kids. Both were unable to speak properly and unable to eat some foods. He said that the second phase is rarely shorter by more than just a few months, so it is essentially not beneficial or cost-effective. Increased cost for meager benefit, in other words. I purposely seek out practitioners who don't overtreat, so we chose him, obviously. DD was meticulous with her rubber bands, etc, and so wore her braces for almost exactly 2 yrs. Would have been a little less, but she had one stubborn tooth, lol. While she had crowding, her worst issue was cross-bite.

My son has some speech issues due to tooth placement. This ortho saw him at age 8, and told us to return when all of his baby teeth have fallen out. So we will. Generally about age 12.

I say, don't just talk to orthodontists that do 2-phase treatment, find
one that doesn't do it for almost every single child they see and ask THEM advice, as well. Ask what the negative impact would be if you just waited and did one set of braces. Then YOU decide if the additional cost and inconvenience of 2-phase treatment is worth it to you.

 

[crisi]

We budgeted for them when the kids were small and made sure to set the money aside, so they weren't a budget buster when they happened.

 

[Leajess99]

Hi all! My 7-year-old DD went to her six month dental checkup and everything is great, no cavities, etc., BUT the dentist informed me that she needs to see the orthodontist!

Just to give you all some background info..Camryn had a horrible underbite before her permanent teeth came in. My Mom would joke that she looked like a little bulldog. When her permanent teeth finally started coming in I started to get a little worried. One of her front teeth is really crooked and another tooth is still
underbite-y.

Does anyone have any idea as to what the orthodontist may recommend to fix my baby's teeth? Isn't she a bit young for braces? And how much is this gonna cost me? YIKES!!!

My middle one was in braces when she was about 8 due to her front 2 teeth coming in in a "V" shape as they were knocked out too early. It cost me $500 for the braces for a year. Now she is going back into braces as soon as all her permanent teeth come in due to a crossbite or whatever he called it (her lower teeth are out farther than her top teeth). The top front teeth look great though but everything else is more what I would assume to be jaw related.

I would look around at orthodontists to make sure you are happy with the one you find. Ours is excellent and we have been using him since my oldest was 5 so almost 13 years now. He only charges us IF he does something to the kids. Follow ups are not charged anything in his office. My 12 year old has not been charged for anything more than a retainer replacement fee (lost her retainer but never charged if the retainer is damaged or just needs redone due to growth) since her braces came off about 3 years ago.

I am very cautious with dentists as my son had one that felt the need to try and get me to pay out over $1,000 for a chin cup to "redistribute his jaw growth" at the age of 5. That is when we were told by a friend to talk to this orthodontist and the orthodontist was up front and told us the facts with a chin cup. We have an awesome dentist now as well since I got rid of the other one due to his continued need for extra treatment and outrageous rates.

 

[Leajess99]

My oldest dd's ortho teaches it at a really excellent college. He is adamantly opposed to the 2-phase thing. His admin assistant told me that in the 16 yrs she has worked for him, she has only seen him do a 2-phase treatment plan on TWO kids. Both were unable to speak properly and unable to eat some foods. He said that the second phase is rarely shorter by more than just a few months, so it is essentially not beneficial or cost-effective. Increased cost for meager benefit, in other words. I purposely seek out practitioners who don't overtreat, so we chose him, obviously. DD was meticulous with her rubber bands, etc, and so wore her braces for almost exactly 2 yrs. Would have been a little less, but she had one stubborn tooth, lol. While she had crowding, her worst issue was cross-bite.

My son has some speech issues due to tooth placement. This ortho saw him at age 8, and told us to return when all of his baby teeth have fallen out. So we will. Generally about age 12.

I say, don't just talk to orthodontists that do 2-phase treatment, find
one that doesn't do it for almost every single child they see and ask THEM advice, as well. Ask what the negative impact would be if you just waited and did one set of braces. Then YOU decide if the additional cost and inconvenience of 2-phase treatment is worth it to you.

GREAT ADVICE!!!!! Our Ortho does not do the 2 phase thing very often at all. My middle one had one set of partial braces due to a necessity. She has had many classmates that end up in the 2 phase braces and honestly I don't get it. Seeing 7 and 8 year olds in a full set of braces is weird. We have one orthodontist that does is with almost every patient they see. Our ortho also doesn't generally use the rubber bands. He uses the wire braces but some kids do end up with rubber bands in the front (my son did).

 

[princessmom29]

My Dentist has told us our DD needed braces for years!

She just lost all of her baby teeth so we just had them put them on her.

I'm not one of those people who thinks a young child needs 2 and 3 sets of braces.

My SIL has spent a FORTUNE and her kids still aren't done.


Good luck!

Some kids do absolutely do need 2 sets of braces.A child with a severe crossbite can get braces at 7-8 while the jawbone is fairly soft and fix the teeth, or have jaw surgery later when the bone is more rigid to fix it by moving the jaw. I think I would opt for the braces, which is what one of DD's friends is going through right now.

 

[alwaysmom]

The 2 phase concept confuses me. DS14 will need Phase 1 & 2. DS12 who will have move extensive work will only need phase 2 (poor kids teeth go every which way). I never heard of Phases when DS24 got braces. What is confusing is that DS14 is estimated to be done in 18 months (both phases), yet DS12 estimate is 3 years (phase 2 only).

Neither are happy campers.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Hi all! My 7-year-old DD went to her six month dental checkup and everything is great, no cavities, etc., BUT the dentist informed me that she needs to see the orthodontist!

Just to give you all some background info..Camryn had a horrible underbite before her permanent teeth came in. My Mom would joke that she looked like a little bulldog. When her permanent teeth finally started coming in I started to get a little worried. One of her front teeth is really crooked and another tooth is still
underbite-y.

Does anyone have any idea as to what the orthodontist may recommend to fix my baby's teeth? Isn't she a bit young for braces? And how much is this gonna cost me? YIKES!!!

We had a similar situation, similar aged child. Underbite or crossbite. Our problem was solved with a retainer for about 10 months. It cost around $1000 for the whole treatment plan/maintenance.

Definately get more than one opinion! Prices vary quite a bit, or they did when DD had hers.

I agree with this!! We had different plans and a wide range of quotes to choose from. Ask your dentist for referrals. We are satisfied with the orthodontist and plan we chose.

And take your time! It will all work out.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

My 9 year old son is in the last of a 2 part process to correct his severe overbite. The first part was braces, because his teeth were very crooked - overlapping front teeth, and bottom front teeth that angle back toward the mouth. He got his braces off last week, and now he's wearing a bionator. It looks like a large, one piece retainer. It's purpose is to move his jaw forward. It's important to do this process while the jaw bones are still growing and strengthening. If you wait until middle school to correct this, you could be facing jaw surgery and wearing headgear. Some may disagree that this process is needed at his age, but we are following the advice of our dentist and our very highly recommended orthodontist.

The cost for my son's treatment was $5000. We got a 7% discount off of that for paying up front. That covered the braces and bionator and all visits associated with them.

It is quite likely that my son will have to have braces again in the future. His mouth is very small, so crowding will be an issue. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[momto3pirates]

I am a dentist, but I don't do ortho. If there is a functional problem, such as the case here, it is much easier to correct earlier. Top front teeth can be damaged if allowed to be left behind the bottom teeth. It also could be a case of a skeletal deficiency where the top jaw is too small or the bottom jaw is growing too fast. Both of these problems should be corrected early.

My oldest son, now 14, had a maxillary deficiency and was in a palate expander and face-mask by the time he was 7. At 10 he had a second phase.

I agree, get several referrals, talk to other parents, go to more than one consult.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ours charges $6300, and dd14 had been going for years. She had a palate expander on for a while before getting braces on (2 1/2 years ago). All 5 of mine need them, unfortunately. Most kids these days get braces, unless they have perfect teeth. All of mine have bit issues, as well as cosmetic, so I feel better paying for them.

 

[mjkacmom]

Our dentist told us to see an orthodontist since DS was 7 or 8 also. I am just not in the camp that my kid needs to wear braces twice. I wore braces, once is bad enough.

We waited until he was 11 and had most of his adult teeth. He is 12 now, had the palate expander and got his braces on about a month ago. All his adult teeth are in now. He'll wear his braces for a couple years and be done.

I have a 7 yoDD who I know will need braces also. Her teeth are terribly crooked. I will take her for an eval in a couple years. Sorry I think its nuts to straighten teeth that are eventually going to need straightened again.

Just because the dentist refers a patient to an orthodontist doesn't mean the orthodontist is going to start. Ds12 has been seeing him twice a year for years now (free). As the adult teeth start to come him, he's checking to make sure there is room, and if an expander is needed. He only does the braces once. Dd needed the expander. Ds12 was just seen, and at this point they can tell he won't, so he'll go in when he loses the last 4 babyteeth. Sometimes, if you wait too long, the palate can no longer be stretched. They don't like to break jaws or remove permanant teeth.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm glad my orthodontist didn't account for wisdom teeth - I didn't get my 3rd until I was 35 (first at 29), and my last one never came down at all. I had them removed, as to not make my teeth crooked (still perfect, and I'm in my 40's).

 

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

My son is 9 years old and had his palate expander put in about 1 month ago. It's only on the upper teeth and it is bonded in his mouth. For the first 3 weeks we had to turn the key and the result is a very prominent gap.(which will close back in eventually.) He has a crossbite that is causing some crooked teeth and crowding due to his small mouth. His expander cost $1500 with no insurance coverage. Luckily, we have a wonderful orthodontist that is allowing us to pay over 6 months with a down payment of $300 and no finance charges. If/when he needs braces in the future that amount will be deducted from the total braces charge. We didn't hesitate as he has the same issues my husband did as a child and since his parents couldn't afford to get his corrected he is now dealing with.

 

[momto2inKC]

My daughter is 2 months away from turning 12. She went for her consult today and is now ready for braces. Total cost will be $5,300, our insurance will be paying 81% of the cost Her issues are crowded teeth, excessive overbite, overjet and incorrect fit of teeth. She has a gap in between her 2 front teeth. Now that all of her adult teeth are in, it's time to get them put on. She'll wear bands for the overjet and hopefully that will be enough to correct that problem. If after the 24 months it doesn't, she'll have to wear a spring type metal band (her ortho said this has replaced kids having to have head gear).
I was completely dreading them telling me the cost, but couldn't believe our insurance covers as much as they do! We will have a $500 down payment, and 10 months of $50 payments and thats it.
Those of you that have kids with braces, did you buy the expensive Sonicare toothbrush? Our papers say we can add it on to our payments for $10 a month, for a total cost of $100.

 

[shelly3girls]

I have a 7 yoDD who I know will need braces also. Her teeth are terribly crooked. I will take her for an eval in a couple years. Sorry I think its nuts to straighten teeth that are eventually going to need straightened again.

I am of the same belief that it is nuts to straighten teeth at a young age. That said we still took DD when she was 8 as recommended by our dentist. The ortho charges one fee for braces and evaluations at a young ager are included in that fee. The idea is that by starting young he can track her development and decide the best time to put the braces on while also monitoring her to see if she needs any other work. We originally thought she would need a pallette expander but it turns out she doesn't. If she did the ortho would have put it on during pre-puberty when girls have their growth spurts. He said it would allow for the pallete to expand easier. If we waited until she was mostly finished growing it would have been more difficult.

We are very glad we took DD. She did not need the work the dentist thought she did but she ended up with other issues the ortho caught. She could have had major problems if these issues weren't caught and none of them required orthodontics just pulling a couple of problem baby teeth.

 

[angierae]

DD15 went to an "old school" orthodontist at age 10 who said to bring her back when all her adult teeth came in.

When we took her to another orthodontist (and another one, and another one, and another one) at age 13 or so, we found out that because her jaw had pretty much stopped growing, she was going to need jaw surgery to get her to 100%. If we had taken her to an orthodontist who believed in two-stage orthodontia earlier, we could have avoided that.

What we ended up settling for is pulling two teeth and putting braces on her and she'll be about 80% of perfect, which is still a LOT better than she was - her overbite was so bad she could stick her thumb between her top teeth and her bottom teeth.

But I really wish we'd found someone earlier who was willing to get her started on stuff. There was no way I was putting her through jaw surgery for a "perfect" smile, but it would have been a lot easier to go through phase 1 stuff when she was younger and achieve that result.

 

[myheartlivesatwdw]

I have twin sons age 12.... $11,000. Now I know why my ortho drives a ferrari.

 

[*love*2*shop]

$$11,000?? where the heck are you going? do you not have dental insurance?? my sons were only 4500.00 with Insurance paying 1500.00....So only $3,000 Out of pocket with an awesome payment plan of only 100.00 a month...... They do not do braces until ALL adult teeth are in..usually after they are 10 or 11.......

 

[danielle79]

Hi all! My 7-year-old DD went to her six month dental checkup and everything is great, no cavities, etc., BUT the dentist informed me that she needs to see the orthodontist!

Just to give you all some background info..Camryn had a horrible underbite before her permanent teeth came in. My Mom would joke that she looked like a little bulldog. When her permanent teeth finally started coming in I started to get a little worried. One of her front teeth is really crooked and another tooth is still
underbite-y.

Does anyone have any idea as to what the orthodontist may recommend to fix my baby's teeth? Isn't she a bit young for braces? And how much is this gonna cost me? YIKES!!!

My oldest daughter just started with braces at thirteen years old and she still has 6 baby teeth and our ortho does not want to pull them. Total cost $5300 we have ins. that will cover half and a flex account thank goodness! On Tuesday brought my youngest (5 years old) to the regular dentist and they suggested she see a special early intervention ortho due to underbite, I almost laughed, 5 years old, REALLY! She has not lost one baby tooth and has just gotten over her fear of going to the regular dentist! I will wait! I personally think before ten is really early and I think orthos want the extra money so they can put braces on twice!

 

[danielle79]

Hi all! My 7-year-old DD went to her six month dental checkup and everything is great, no cavities, etc., BUT the dentist informed me that she needs to see the orthodontist!

Just to give you all some background info..Camryn had a horrible underbite before her permanent teeth came in. My Mom would joke that she looked like a little bulldog. When her permanent teeth finally started coming in I started to get a little worried. One of her front teeth is really crooked and another tooth is still
underbite-y.