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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It’s the palate expanders. Every braces-wearing Gen Alpha kid got a palate expander, sometimes for years, which creates a Wallace & Gromit smile (Google it). Orthodontists push kids palates so far out that they all have this same weird cartoon smile when the braces come off.[/quote]

+1. Read the whole thread waiting for someone to say this. The palate expanders cause that look with the 4-6 front teeth straight across not curved around. It's hard to find an image of it (what Orthodontist would post photos like that?) but I know exactly what OP means. It's everywhere in tweens/teens today. [/quote]

If the orthos are doing it on purpose because they think it looks good, why wouldn't they advertise it?[/quote]

They are doing it on purpose because it makes them more money. And then they convince themselves it's essential. A lot of orthodontia is this way. So is a lot of dentistry, both essential and cosmetic. Dentistry/orthodontia is a racket.

Same thing with the two stage braces and all the 7 yr olds in braces suddenly. I think they are basically preying on people who start getting nervous when their kids have typical gappy smiles at this age. It's an awkward age where kids have a mix of adult and baby teeth, gaps that can take a bit to fill in, plus when you see teeth come in at this stage, if they are crooked at all, it *really* stands out because they may be coming in next to a gap or next to a tiny baby tooth and it just looks weird. Parents start to worry "oh no my kid has horrible teeth" and now suddenly the standard recommendation is an orthodontist consult at 7.5 and, oh surprise, now orthos regularly recommend kids get an initial round of braces at 7 or 8.

Here's a secret: teeth can straighten themselves out a bit on their own during this phase. A tooth can descend at an angle and then straighten out a surprising amount as it fully comes into place, especially as other adult teeth move into place on either side of it. So some of the straightening that you see happen quickly and easily during "round 1" braces? Could actually happen without braces. Kids teeth are super mobile during this stage and there's often lots of shifting. Unless your kid has shark teeth (that last more than a short period, even shark teeth can sort themselves out once the baby tooth falls out), true crowding, or major jaw issues, you will be surprised at how much better their smile will look at age 9 than it did at age 7, just as a result of their adult dentition coming into place.

They may still need braces, or you might just want to get them for aesthetic reasons, but a lot of what you don't like about your kid's smile at 7 is just the reality of the age. I think a lot of orthos just prey on parent fears. It's ridiculous, especially in this era when a lot of families are increasingly stressed about finances, between inflation and rising college costs.[/quote]

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