So conflicted about braces

amother

NeonYellow

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 7:56 pm

You may be in luck, but usually consultations for dental specialties are not free.

NEVER rely on your dentist to refer you to a specialist. Some are not focused on orthodontic issues and some are simply ignorant.

16 and 17 are far from ideal ages because the jaw is developed already. Certain solutions will be off the table. BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. Plenty of adults get successful orthodontic treatment. They are not getting it for cosmetic reasons but for health reasons.

By the way, 12K for two kids is very low. My kids have been done with orthodontics for many years and they were 10K each. They had other issues and needed expanders but it was so worth it. I sat in the waiting room for hundreds and hundreds of hours. They endured a lot of pain. But their bites are just as they should be. Teeth were saved that would otherwise have to have been extracted. To say nothing of the cosmetic differences.

tinyspark

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 7:56 pm

When I asked my dentist if my daughter (16) needed braces my dentist told me to check with a orthodontist. When he heard the orthodontist say she needs it for an overbite he said doesnt make sense to do because it will eventually come back

amother

Moonstone

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 7:57 pm

amother

NeonYellow

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 7:58 pm

amother Firethorn wrote:

Makes no sense what he’s saying about their age. Everyone gets braces on their adult teeth..

It makes perfect sense. The jaw is still growing so it is easier to get success with orthodontics.
The ideal time is preteen.

amother

NeonYellow

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 7:59 pm

amother Moonstone wrote:

Wow. Pretty ignorant. If she wears her retainer as she should it will not "come back".

amother

Nemesia

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 9:22 pm

DO NOT GET BRACES. Get Invisalign if your kid needs it, no matter what the cost difference is

I can't believe orthodontist are still doing them these days. Braces KILLED my teeth, I have endless endless cavities and root canals due to not cleaning them properly for years. It's impossible to properly clean your teeth with braces even with the water pick etc

And I know multiple people with the same issue.

amother

Thu, Nov 09 2023, 9:23 pm

amother Nemesia wrote:

My kids would never wear braces at this age. I’m talking about Invisalign. It’s the same price as braces

amother

Diamond

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 12:12 pm

I got braces at 18 for an overbite correction that was long overdue.
It was a waste of money and did absolutely nothing. I dont think an overbite can corrected at a later age.
If it was just to straighten teeth cosmetically then it might still help. it straightened one tooth slightly. but I didnt even care about that.

before I got braces the ortho sent me for xrays to see if I was still growing and if there was hope. the answer came back no, but he interpreted the results as having hope anyway and he still pushed for braces.

amother

Babyblue

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 1:23 pm

Braces hardly ever correct bite issues and usually just make small jaws even smaller, which can lead to airway issues down the line. If I was going to invest in my kids mouths, and I personally do believe it's a very worthwhile investment, I would only see an airway informed orthodontist.

amother

Silver

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 1:25 pm

amother Babypink wrote:

Not necessarily.

My relative is a dentist and he has a thing against orthodontists. He thinks he can fix all the cosmetic issues himself. I would never ever trust him with regards to orthodontia. He messed me up big time with one of my kids when had a very damaging bite that destroyed some of his teeth.

amother

Orchid

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 1:33 pm

When you see your kids smile, and maybe study some pictures, what do you see?! Are their teeth nice and straight looking? Teeth are a very crucial part of how a person looks. If you see somebody with not great teeth you subconsciously associate that with somebody not well groomed or too poor for braces.
That’s just my humble opinion.

amother

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 2:03 pm

amother Orchid wrote:

Like I said, my kids have straight teeth and I never even thought to take them to an orthodontist until someone told me I was crazy that I didn’t. Now that I did, I was told they might have straight teeth but there’s overcrowding and bite issues. My question is how necessary is it to fix?

amother

Dimgray

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 2:27 pm

I did not think my kid needed braces either. The dentist never brought it up. When my child asked the dentist about her crossbite, the dentist said yeah maybe get it checked out. Well the child got a pallet expander and got invisalign at 16 years old. Now I could see why she needed braces. Her teeth were all straight. But now when she smiles it looks so much better. You can't compare

amother

Natural

Fri, Nov 10 2023, 3:53 pm

Braces are often painful. Unless there are severe issues I don't believe in them. I had a terrible bite and huge spaces. I also had tongue thrust. And tmj. Got braces at 14. But my sister got them and she said the orthodontist over corrected and she regrets it. So when my 11 year old was referred to an orthodontist and he admitted it was 75% cosmetic I said no. She has a beautiful smile already. Not perfect but nice. Maybe when she is an adult and has money to throw around she can do it.