Does my 9yr old really need an expander?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with getting second and even third opinions.

While I am certain there are good reasons for a relatively small number of kids younger than 12 or 13 starting down the orthodontia path I have never heard a good explanation for why it's become so widespread over the last 20+ years.

It’s cosmetic 80% of the time. I can’t stand it.

- dentist

You must not be very busy to be posting here on a work day. Why can't you stand it? For some kids it makes sense and what's wrong with doing cosmetic braces? My kids braces were 100% cosmetic but it looks so much better. Why wouldn't I do it if I could afford it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with getting second and even third opinions.

While I am certain there are good reasons for a relatively small number of kids younger than 12 or 13 starting down the orthodontia path I have never heard a good explanation for why it's become so widespread over the last 20+ years.

It’s cosmetic 80% of the time. I can’t stand it.

- dentist

You must not be very busy to be posting here on a work day. Why can't you stand it? For some kids it makes sense and what's wrong with doing cosmetic braces? My kids braces were 100% cosmetic but it looks so much better. Why wouldn't I do it if I could afford it?

Sorry wasn’t clear. Braces for cosmetic reasons is 100% valid. If that’s what you and your child want. But dentists make people think that having a perfect smile will save you “problems” down the road. Like what problems exactly? They market it like the perfect bite is necessary. It’s not. Most kids don’t NEED braces.
- Dentist

And I work in public health so I have tons of downtime. Which is why I post here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a second opinion, but please don't fear the expander. There's a limited time in life in which these really work. My orthodontist (Rad in Bethesda) recommended one for one of my three kids, but not the other two. A good orthodontist won't take a one-size-fits-all approach.

Also run far away from any orthodontist who wants to pull adult teeth.

My experience -- I have a cross-bite that was attempted to be fixed in the 1970s with a removable expander and it didn't work, not surprisingly. My orthodontist in my teens took out four permanent teeth (first bicuspids) as there wasn't room for them in my mouth given my jaw had not been expanded. This has led to a narrowing of my palate and jaw.

Meanwhile, I have gum recession because of the unfixed cross-bite and bad bite and am facing gum grafts in the not too distant future.

Now I'm in my mid-50s and I have breathing and sleep issues that directly stem from my overly narrow palate and airway. I've been considering double jaw surgery -- which is a huge surgery and not one to be taken lightly -- to help reverse this narrowing. A CPAP machine does no good given my structural issues.

I'd give anything to be able to go back in time and have the kind of modern expansion available these days when I was young enough and my jaw was still growing to have it work.

I am similar to you and I am actually having the surgery! Upper jaw will be broken to widen and lower jaw will be broken to move forward a bit. I am already in braces to straighten my teeth as much as possible before the surgery. I had only 1 tooth removed during childhood and the braces now will recreate the space so I can get an implant. End goal: straight teeth, proper bite, no weak chin and no snoring

[Anonymous]

We were reluctant when the ortho recommended expanders for our 7 YO and got three opinions. Two recommended an expander and one invisalign. We didn't think our 7 yo could handle invisalign, and went with the expander. After she adjusted over the first few days, it's been totally fine. In a few months, they'll add a few braces on her top teeth to move them slightly. Expect to have everything out by October.

[Anonymous]

No, your FIVE-year-old needed an expander. At nine, it’s too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with getting second and even third opinions.

While I am certain there are good reasons for a relatively small number of kids younger than 12 or 13 starting down the orthodontia path I have never heard a good explanation for why it's become so widespread over the last 20+ years.

Because you can't do an expander after about 9 years old - you need to do it while still growing. People are trying to avoid or minimize orthodontal work later by preventing problems earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with getting second and even third opinions.

While I am certain there are good reasons for a relatively small number of kids younger than 12 or 13 starting down the orthodontia path I have never heard a good explanation for why it's become so widespread over the last 20+ years.

It’s cosmetic 80% of the time. I can’t stand it.

- dentist

You must not be very busy to be posting here on a work day. Why can't you stand it? For some kids it makes sense and what's wrong with doing cosmetic braces? My kids braces were 100% cosmetic but it looks so much better. Why wouldn't I do it if I could afford it?

Sorry wasn’t clear. Braces for cosmetic reasons is 100% valid. If that’s what you and your child want. But dentists make people think that having a perfect smile will save you “problems” down the road. Like what problems exactly? They market it like the perfect bite is necessary. It’s not. Most kids don’t NEED braces.
- Dentist

And I work in public health so I have tons of downtime. Which is why I post here.

Sure, you don't technically need all your teeth either, but people like having them. And they like the look of a "normal" jaw and even smile. I'm so glad my DD can get her bite corrected instead of living with the same weak chin that I have, and needing teeth pulled later because of crowding.

[Anonymous]

My 11 year old is in braces (just the top) now, but she had an expander ANd needed baby teeth extracted. It was a little hard to get the hang of turning the key in the expander but otherwise it was not a big deal. Like braces I think it bothered her for the first day or so.

[Anonymous]

Pp here. I forget but I think she was 9 when she did the expander.

[Anonymous]

Our orthodontist recommended one when our daughter was young but when I started saying she had sensory issues and was coocerned about that she said let’s wait. I guess most expanders give 1/4 inch of space. Our daughter grew and no longer needed the expander and successfully had braces

[Anonymous]

I wore headgear as a child and absolutely think it was a mistake. I am now a mouth breather and all my teeth came in incorrectly because my bite wasn't the way it was meant to be. I wish I had an overbite instead of a lifetime of a messed up palate leading to oxygen deficiencies, ADHD, crooked teeth, cavities, etc.

[Anonymous]

The answer is to consult with a few highly regarded practitioners, and then trust their recommendations. dCUM has no idea what your kid needs.

I had overcrowding to the point of my teeth coming in through my gums, so to be able to have that corrected for my son with a palate expander was great. But that’s just one specific situation.

[Anonymous]

I had a key-turn expander (upper) at around 6 years old. It was be try unpleasant, but not any worse than the discomfort of having braces installed/adjusted. I also had spring expanders (upper and lower) at 12. Barely noticed them. Overall they are a minor footnote in my memory of orthodontic treatment, so unless the technology has some how become more traumatic in the past 10 years (which seems unlikely), I would not worry about it too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a key-turn expander (upper) at around 6 years old. It was be try unpleasant, but not any worse than the discomfort of having braces installed/adjusted. I also had spring expanders (upper and lower) at 12. Barely noticed them. Overall they are a minor footnote in my memory of orthodontic treatment, so unless the technology has some how become more traumatic in the past 10 years (which seems unlikely), I would not worry about it too much.

*was a bit unpleasant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wore headgear as a child and absolutely think it was a mistake. I am now a mouth breather and all my teeth came in incorrectly because my bite wasn't the way it was meant to be. I wish I had an overbite instead of a lifetime of a messed up palate leading to oxygen deficiencies, ADHD, crooked teeth, cavities, etc.

You think orthodontia is why you have ADHD? Maybe your ADHD meant you used your headgear incorrectly? Ever thought of that?