Orthodontist

[Anonymous]

DS8.5 dentist recommended he get a consultation with an orthodontist. He does have some visibly crooked teeth and I booked with the ortho she recommended. But i've also read that kids are often being pushed ortho treatments earlier and earlier that they don't need. How did you decide to pursue treatment? Should I try to find another orthodontist to get another consult?

[Anonymous]

My kids weren't that young when the dentist referred us to the orthodontist but were definitely in elementary school. In our case all three kids had braces mostly for cross bites after they'd lost all of their baby teeth so not until they were 14--we would just go check in with the orthodontist every 6-9 months.

I know some classmates had earlier treatment with the same orthodontist but I don't know the particulars of their teeth.

[Anonymous]

it seemed young to me too - but I looked up the new guidelines at they start with consults at age 7 or 8. I talked to my dentist and I went to the consult and started with treatment. It doesn't hurt to get more than one opinion.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure the referral is just for crooked teeth? At this age, it’s often more about the bite or the palate. Ask if your kid’s palate and jaw development are normal. Ideally, you want a wide U-shaped plate. Sometimes a high-arched palate can lead to airway or breathing issues. It can be genetic but also things like pacifier usage or thumb sucking can be contributing factors.

[Anonymous]

Our son started at nine and it was also for bite/palate. I believe the new guidance is to widen the palate and get that nice and roomy so permanent teeth can come in as straight as possible. It is an evolution from when we were young!!

[Anonymous]

Both of mine had consults around that age. The former thumbsucker was observed for a few years but needed treatment earlier (palate expander as others have mentioned and then right into braces). My 10yo is still in a watch and wait. And, yes, do another consult (or two). We did four and the treatment plans and costs varied considerably.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the orthodontist and it depends on the problem. The orthodontist we see doesn't like using palate expanders except in certain situations but others seem to use it on almost everyone. My son (10) only has large, crowded teeth, no crossbite. We went a few times starting at age 8, and then finally were referred earlier this year to have his baby canines removed as the adult ones were starting to go sideways in the gum (I had the same problem as a child and wasn't caught until it was too late and required surgery so we got right on that). We go back next month for another followup and there must have also been a jaw growth spurt in the meantime as everything looks fairly well aligned right now with just some extra spacing issues in the front.

[Anonymous]

The ortho we went with for my older kids prefers to wait till kids are partly into puberty, when some kids have a lot of jaw growth.

My youngest has some weird issues, so he’s getting assessed at 9. We haven’t really figured out if we need to do an initial stage of braces on him now and then again as a teen or not.

Most kids we know who got braces in 2-3 grades planned to do two phases. I have no idea if that’s a better plan than waiting till 12 or 13, but I didn’t see a point to going eslrier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ortho we went with for my older kids prefers to wait till kids are partly into puberty, when some kids have a lot of jaw growth.

My youngest has some weird issues, so he’s getting assessed at 9. We haven’t really figured out if we need to do an initial stage of braces on him now and then again as a teen or not.

Most kids we know who got braces in 2-3 grades planned to do two phases. I have no idea if that’s a better plan than waiting till 12 or 13, but I didn’t see a point to going eslrier

What kinds of things do you mean by weird issues?

[Anonymous]

Always get multiple consultations. We went to three different people and they all had the exact same diagnosis (she needed a palate expander because she sucked her thumb, it was very obvious) but all three had different ways of treating it - we went with the orthodontist that we liked the best and whose treatment suggestion was the least complex (e.g. just an expander and then braces to pull the teeth back together as opposed to other people who wanted an expander and braces on top and bottom, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Definitely get a 2nd opinion. My DD's dentist referred us to a couple of orthodontists. I went to one for the free consultation and felt like I was at a car dealership. They even kept following up asking if I was interested in one of the 2 treatment options they suggested. I then went to an orthodontist my dentist recommended and had a much better experience where treatment was not being recommended for the time being.

[Anonymous]

We got pushed at 8 to go, but I'm glad we waited until 11 years old. Two years in and they are about to be removed, and we will only have needed one set of braces.

[Anonymous]

Just saw the first ortho and he said no early treatment needed! He will see us in a year to recheck. Is there a point to going to the appointment I made with the ortho (either to get a second opinion, to suss out which practice we like better, or..?). Or should i go ahead and cancel with the other ortho?