Orthodonticts - did we get scammed?

[Anonymous]

DD had palate expander, braces, headgear and retainer in 2017 at 9 years old. I think it was about 2 years and then the retainer for another year and a permanent retainer for another just on the bottom. Now, at almost 14, she has two canines that stick out and the orthodontists says she needs braces again. She is Autistic and very, very upset about this - she feels it is unfair she went through all of that just to need braces again, and she has a hard time with the sensory discomfort and food limitations that come along with them.

I'm switching practices because I just didn't get a personal feeling from the practice that did the braces initially and I really want to understand what they're doing and why. I am getting Invisalign myself soon and I really liked the orthodontist I went to so I'm going to take my daughter there. It's clear she needs some additional work because her teeth are not straight, so we have to bite the bullet and do it - but it is probably going to be a $10K endeavor when all is said and done, and I can't shake the feeling we got scammed initially.

Why put a young kid through all of that just to need a repeat? Couldn't they have waited until 13 or 14 and just did the full braces then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD had palate expander, braces, headgear and retainer in 2017 at 9 years old. I think it was about 2 years and then the retainer for another year and a permanent retainer for another just on the bottom. Now, at almost 14, she has two canines that stick out and the orthodontists says she needs braces again. She is Autistic and very, very upset about this - she feels it is unfair she went through all of that just to need braces again, and she has a hard time with the sensory discomfort and food limitations that come along with them.

I'm switching practices because I just didn't get a personal feeling from the practice that did the braces initially and I really want to understand what they're doing and why. I am getting Invisalign myself soon and I really liked the orthodontist I went to so I'm going to take my daughter there. It's clear she needs some additional work because her teeth are not straight, so we have to bite the bullet and do it - but it is probably going to be a $10K endeavor when all is said and done, and I can't shake the feeling we got scammed initially.

Why put a young kid through all of that just to need a repeat? Couldn't they have waited until 13 or 14 and just did the full braces then?

Yes. Two sets of braces is the biggest running scam out there.

My kids both had palate expanders at 11. But, were told to wait for Invisalign until teens. They were still growing--a lot. The older one finished right before Freshmen year in HS (7th-8th grade). The 8th grader has been advised to wait (he's 13) because he still has some baby teeth. They did put a 'spacer' in where one tooth was lost early at the time of the palate expander.

[Anonymous]

I thought most people who do braces on younger elementary-aged kids were doing so under the assumption that they’d need another round in the teen years. Which is exactly why we just waited til the teens years when all the adult teeth were present. I think the 2-round plan is a scam, but I’m no expert.

[Anonymous]

I have a 10 year old and a lot of her friends are getting/have braces. One Mom told me specifically that getting braces twice (once when they are young and again when they are teams) is now normal. I asked my regular dentist about this and he said absolutely do not take my DD to an orthodontist now. That kids without major structural problems do not need multiple rounds of braces and that it has become a scam. My DD will eventually need braces to straighten out her teeth but based on our dentists recommendation we will not be visiting an orthodontist till she is older and her adult teeth have all come in.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I wish we had waited. We were told she might not need braces again, but we'd see how her teeth came in.

Also, I'm really conflicted about whether to force the issue. So far we've been told its cosmetic, but I'll wait and see what my orthodontist says. Her teeth are also crowded on top and she's not good at brushing so that can be an issue. She says she doesn't care. But, I am afraid at 18, or 25, she'll care and it will be more difficult then and she may be stuck with the bill. This is complicated by the fact that she's Autistic, so she has enough "difference" to contend with without having crooked teeth on top of it. At the same time, she has enough difficultly to contend with now, I don't want to add to her plate. It's her first year of HS next year too.

UGH.

[Anonymous]

My children all needed expanders due to crossbites or narrow upper palate to create the space needed for all the adult teeth. They also had braces on the upper teeth to "line things up" with the hopes that the adult canines would track better. We were told up front that this is considered a Phase 1 and that there would be a 50/50 chance that they would need a Phase 2.

For DC1, his Phase 1 worked perfectly. He does not need any additional orthodontia.
For DC2, his Phase 1 fixed the cross bite and lined things up well, but the canines just messed up the front despite having a retainer to help keep things aligned. Phase 2 was needed once all baby teeth were out. Phase 2 was very short - about 9 months. DC now wears Invisalign at night as retainers.
DC3 finished Phase 1 and it is not clear about Phase 2.

The cost for both phases wasn't even close to 10k -- more like half or 3/4 that cost.

What your DD went through sounds like a lot at 9. No orthodontist can predict what will happen especially since the adult teeth are not fully in. I'm sorry you DD went through that much without being informed that things could be needed in the future. I'd go with your gut and get the second opinion.

[Anonymous]

I think $10knos pretty standard in UMC areas for playdate expander, braces, etc.

[Anonymous]

How many orthodontist did you consult? Paediatric orthodontists? I took my son to 4 different ones as I was getting very varied advice. You can’t undo the past but you can make sure you consult widely now.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids, both at the same dentist. Older kid had really crowded teeth with lots of structural issues. Dentist recommended orthodontist early. Did the palate expander, first round of braces (they were upfront that we would need a second round). Second kid with somewhat crooked but better teeth - same dentist said no need for orthodontics until all baby teeth are gone, so we will wait until middle school.

Total time for 1st kid’s braces is going to be 2 years. I don’t know if it’s better or worse than it would have been with 1 round of braces, but his teeth were really crooked before and it helped his confidence to have that first round and not have those major issues for 4 more years. He did complain a lot(!) about the second round, because his teeth looked sort of like a regular person who has never had orthodontics but not horrible. Oh well, I wanted to do the full two rounds.

Anyway, I don’t think we got scammed but it likely depends on the situation and dentists/orthodontists involved.

I would recommend that people go to independent dentists and not dentists who have orthodontists within the practice, so they don’t have a conflict of interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think $10knos pretty standard in UMC areas for playdate expander, braces, etc.

Ours will be a total of 8k in fairfax for 2 rounds total.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, You can only get a palate extender when it is still growing (usually under 11 yo). You also typically get braces at that time so they fill (correctly) the space created by the expanded palette. Most GOOD orthos tell you, it is likely kids will need braces a few years later to make adjustments due to new teeth coming in, growth, etc. This is not uncommon at all.

I wore braces for 2 1/2 years as a kid in middle/high school. My kid in middle school has a perfect smile after 2 years total with both sets of braces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have two kids, both at the same dentist. Older kid had really crowded teeth with lots of structural issues. Dentist recommended orthodontist early. Did the palate expander, first round of braces (they were upfront that we would need a second round). Second kid with somewhat crooked but better teeth - same dentist said no need for orthodontics until all baby teeth are gone, so we will wait until middle school.

Total time for 1st kid’s braces is going to be 2 years. I don’t know if it’s better or worse than it would have been with 1 round of braces, but his teeth were really crooked before and it helped his confidence to have that first round and not have those major issues for 4 more years. He did complain a lot(!) about the second round, because his teeth looked sort of like a regular person who has never had orthodontics but not horrible. Oh well, I wanted to do the full two rounds.

Anyway, I don’t think we got scammed but it likely depends on the situation and dentists/orthodontists involved.

I would recommend that people go to independent dentists and not dentists who have orthodontists within the practice, so they don’t have a conflict of interest.

Absolutely this AND your child should be seeing a pediatric dentist. One that is actually board certified, not just a practice that specializes in kids. This involves extra years of training and is much more likely to result in decent orthodontic advice and referrals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think $10knos pretty standard in UMC areas for playdate expander, braces, etc.

NO IT IS NOT!

[Anonymous]

My kid had Phase I treatment from ages 9 to 11.
He used retainers and expanders to correct open bite and crossbite due to thumb sucking. He quit sucking when he started K but the damage was already done.

We switch orthodontist because the Phase I Ortho wanted to put braces on him right away and start Phase II.

The new Ortho started Phase II at age 12 with full braces. He was done by age 13 1/2.

I think braces before 12 is a rip off!

[Anonymous]

Per my daughter's pediatric dentist, orthodontia is needed in children that don't have adult teeth, when the problems are structural, such as bite correction. For everything else, she recommends waiting until all the baby teeth are out.