Need help with orthodontics (braces)

[Itchette]

I love these boards. You can find lots of information, plus you know people here think like you because we all LOVE disney!

For those that have kids with braces, how do you choose which kind? Some have the "old fashioned" metal, some have ceramic or porcelain. But I have heard a few negative comments about them, but not sure if it's negative enough to not get them. Then they glue in a retainer permanently on the bottom. I've never heard of this before. I must be old fashioned!

Then I've heard of triangle brackets, heat-sensitive brackets, square brackets, etc. I'm very confused and every ortho gives me a different opinion.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[tmq2766]

My DD9 just got her braces off about 2 weeks ago and she had the brackets theat werglued on. She had gone through a pallet expander on the top and bottom and braces on upper and lower. She had them on for a total of 16 months and I could not believe until I saw her x-rays and impressions how bad her teeth were. I could not be happier with the results!!!!!!!!! She did not get the white spots from the brackets.
Now she has a retainer glued to the back of her bottom teeth and a removable retainer on the top that she has to wear 24/7 for the first year and then only at night after that.
I went to the Ortho that my dentist of many years recommended.
I know there are going to be people who will disagree with her getting them on so early but looking at the x-rays and impressions before and after I would not change a thing!!!!!!!! She just did not have the room for teeth to come down!

 

[monarchsfan16]

For a little clarification, the traditional metal brackets don't look quite like they did when the adults on the board had braces. I've seen the pictures of my uncle in braces, and there's a big difference between what they were and what they are now. They are the most common type of brackets and generally the least expensive. They can do anything. Trust me, I had a mouth that was one of the worst the ortho had seen in awhile. It's now PERFECT They can also have the colored things put on them, so it makes it fun.The clear brackets dont' end up so clear when you add the wire in, people will see them. More expensive too. The ceramic and porceline ones generally aren't used for kids, at least not around here. Expense is one of the likely reasons. They're also for correcting the most minor problems. Like one tooth slightly out of place. I've seen a couple people with the triange ones. I honestly don't know what those are for. I've never heard of heat activated brackets, although I did have heat activated wires for the first couple of months. There are even platinum and real gold "traditional" brackets. They of course cost thousands more.
Is the orthodontish reccomending a certain type of bracket? Is there a type of bracket that is most common in your area? I hate to say it, but no kid likes to stick out and if one child has triangles while the rest have traditional, well...it could cause self conciousness. Also, if you're trying to find an orthodontist, ask the parents around. Asking a dentist is great, but often the parents are the best resources because they see what happens in the ortho office. They see the results. They see the "chairside manner". Go for consultations with one or 2 of the most popular orthodontists. See what the orthodontist reccomends for brackets. Most will point you in the direction of the traditional brackets, as they're the least expensive (generally) and most popular.
With the retainers, I'm hearing more about the type that glue into the teeth and are permanent. My retainers are removable and I'm slowly being "weaned" from them. The amount of time I have to wear them will lessen over time. The removable are most common around here, but honestly that has more to do with the specific orthodontist. Around here most kids go to the same one, so consequently they have the same type of retainer.

 

[LMC]

My 9yo son just got braces off his top teeth a couple of weeks ago too! He also wore a palate expander for a deformed-high-arched palate then since he is missing some permanent teeth, the two front teeth that are permanent shifted way back so we had to fix that. We also corrected his over-bite a little bit but will do more later when he gets another set in his teens. After we see how many permanent teeth he ends up with, we can decide what to do from there. Since we have a horrible gag reflex and only two front teeth we are dealing with, he only has a permanent wire behind the two fronts. We are hopefully going to get bridges put in where he is missing the permanent teeth so he won't have gapping holes in his mouth. I think the most common brackets are the small metal ones that glue to the outside surface of the tooth. The kids get to select the color of rubber bands that go on each bracket so you get all kinds of wild combinations!

 

[MerryPoppins]

DS 17 wore braces for a couple of years. DD 13 gets hers off next month. Both had the more traditional, glued variety with the colored bands. I guess you'd call them square. Not the bands that went around their teeth, but just the glued brackets.

Their teeth look fabulous! I think this method is the least expensive of the choices that are out there and our orthodontist says the wires that they use now are a lot more gentle than the ones that I wore as a teen.

 

[KimRaye]

Oh boy, this thread is hitting home with me. My DS, almost 17, is being told he either needs braces, or face jaw surgery for an underbite!! Why so late, I ask? He's been seeing the same pedodontist since he was 5! He also visited the reg. pediatrician recently, and he said my DS had about 1 more year of growing, so WHY NOW, I still wonder? DS also needs to have at least 2 wisdom teeth removed, that I understand. How on earth do you convince a teenager, entering his Junior year, that he needs braces for up to 2 years? NOT an easy task.

BTW, DS has NO complaints/problems with his teeth/bite, etc., except that which the dentist predicts WILL happen.

Ay-yi-yi