Son needs two teeth removed for braces OR headgear WHICH?

paperclip

Thu, Aug 15 2019, 11:52 pm

Please do not pull teeth. That’s is the worst thing you can do for your son. Pushing the teeth back will cause TMJ problems .
I wish I can educate parents on teeth problems, overcrowdedness, and how to avoid braces.
My passion is to go to dental school one day, maybe after my kids grow up. Parents ruin their kids faces with braces by going the regular orthodontic route. My child got scoliosis from the braces and now I have a bigger issue to fix. I can fix the scoliosis without intervention, but I wish I knew not to put on those braces. I knew extractions makes no sense so with my next child I told the orthodontist what I want her to do. She had no idea how to get my child’s tooth to come down so I did work on my own, got it to come down and found an orthodontist that listened to my instructions. He is almost done with his dental work, and I am happy with the results .

amother

Thu, Aug 15 2019, 11:56 pm

sky wrote:

My son had a lot of baby teeth pulled that was causing his teeth to get even worse. That is why I asked if it’s baby or adult. His teeth just wouldn’t fall out.

Btw pulling teeth isn’t cheap Wink

so you may not be saving as much as you’d expect. We pulled 4 and I was shocked at the final cost.

Thanks for this. The teeth removal( extractions) is like a routine dental visit. I already called the dentist and insurance and it is simple and covered(its cheap and common so it is covered)

. However, the headgear and biplate is not covered, so the orthodontist can charge me any amount of $ for it. Im glad ppl are posting their experiences.

amother

Babyblue

Fri, Aug 16 2019, 12:03 am

amother [ Tan ] wrote:

I had four adult teeth removed as a kid.

My kids inherited my crowded jaw and underbite. I've only treated one so far. He wore a headgear at night for about a year with a palate expander, and it did the trick. He'll still need braces, but so did I! It wasn't pleasant for the first couple of weeks and the first few times we adjusted it, but he did just fine with it and he was quite a bit younger than your son.

Interesting about the TMJ, I've had it for years. I hope the kids can avoid it.

Look into tongue ties

amother

Fri, Aug 16 2019, 12:11 am

paperclip wrote:

Thanks for commenting. First, as you said its very rare to find an orthodontist who will listen to me over what he thinks/knows"" is best.

Second, you explained what NOT TO DO but didnt say what to do.

So, my sons teeth are so squished, crooked...etc(besides the bite problem) that if he doesnt get braces (with teeth removal or headgear/biplate first) then, I will definitely be paying tons for cavities...the orthos both said he has a lot of plaque, but it is impossible to clean teeth properly when teeth are so messed up.

Furthermore, his upper teeth are forward so much that his lips dont close well thus straining the chin muscle...so this is not something that im going to ignore. (My mil never bought braces for my dh bec she got scared that he had to have a lot....so wen we got married, we paid so much for cavities....etc eventually we had to pay for invisalign which was a lot of $ but plaque was building in hard to get ...messed up teeth...so I dont agree with you to ignore).

So, pls explain what action plan you think I should do? Ignoring it is not an option.

amother

Seashell

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 1:25 am

paperclip wrote:

Sorry for bumping an old thread- but if you’re still active and see this can you please elaborate on the alternatives? Thanks

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 5:55 am

ETA: LOL, I just realized this is an old thread! TMI

I had 4 permanant teeth taken out before I got braces. It was done under general anesthetic by an oral surgeon, and was not the least bit traumatic. I only recall having it done because my mom told me about it.

I had braces for 3 1/2 years, because I had a "Bugs Bunny" overbite.

When I was in my early 20's my wisdom teeth came in nice and straight, because they had room. If I hadn't had those 4 teeth taken out earlier, chances are that the wisdom teeth would have been severely impacted.

As a matter of fact, when the dentist looked at my wisdom teeth X-rays, he laughed and said "This is going to be a walk in the park!" Something you really want to hear when you are going to have teeth pulled, let me tell you. Wink

Bottom line, if you are looking at large teeth and a crowded jaw, do your child a favor and make some room in there. It will pay off in the long run.

amother

Mauve

Mon, Jul 05 2021, 6:03 am

Please don't remove teeth as a first option. My sil had teeth pulled. Her mouth grew as she became an adult and she could have used the teeth. My dh had 3 teeth pulled, his mouth is still small, he could have used an expander.

I was offered the same as OP for my oldest dd. We went the expander route. Headgear was for night only. Next dc needed on expander and third dc needed only Headgear at night. No teeth were removed for any dc.