Get multiple opinions. We went with the one who said it wasn't necessary and cosmetic only and who refused to treat me given my health issues. He was much more expensive but you also need to break down the cost to see what it includes, particularly the retainer at the end. They are all a money grab and if you have insurance most insurance set a cap on what can be charged and they charge the max amount.

Pick a reasonable distance from home - we've had a few issues where we need to go in. And, our appointments are monthly, so sometimes we are there 1-3 times a month. Sometimes they want us to come in sooner than the monthly appt. We picked one near our house but they have multiple offices and it's a bigger deal to go to the one 30 minutes vs. 10 minutes.

Pick on availability. Make sure they have same-day emergency appointments and how responsive are they. Avoid the ones that are factories with tons of kids coming in at the same time. If you cannot get an emergency appointment within a day or two, it really sucks for your kid if something is broken and hurts.

Pick off personal recommendations.

Also, every ortho we saw said wait till the 12 year molars are out.

Ask about the process and how they'd handle your child's particular case. We wanted Invisalign but the one we choose recommended against it but was willing to do it as he said he didn't have as much control over the process.

Get a water pick and water pick makes a flosser that is great too.

Also, plan for extra expenses. We had to do bonding for one of the kids and that was an additional cost.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I’d known how much having them taken off would hurt. DD was in so much pain. Glad I knew to book her for a teeth cleaning immediately after that though. Her teeth were filthy!

Thanks, any tips for dealing with the pain?

My DD found that chewing gum really helped, especially in the day or two after each adjustment. Something about the counter-pressure. Ortho said it was fine as long as it was sugarless, non-stick gum (most is, these days).

We’ve been told not to have gum with braces ..

Yeah, that’s like one of the Ten Commandments of braces - Thou Shalt Not Chew Gum.

Our orthodontist said it helps and encouraged it as long as it was sugar free.

What to know- My first kid popped a lot of brackets, not from gum, but from everything else imaginable. We were always back for more appointments. Brushing was difficult and I agree with others about the waterpick.

After a few opinions, we went with two stages for my second kid. The first was a couple of brackets and headgear and the second stage was Invisaligns. Everything was easier with Invisaligns and only one week was ever accidentally thrown out. It wasn’t even an issue because we went on the next week a couple days early. No popped brackets, brushing issues or food restrictions.

You should know that getting 3 opinions sometimes means receiving 3 different opinions. Sometimes orthodontia can be as much art as science

Anonymous wrote:Ask around to get recommendations - I asked on Facebook and came away with three names that multiple people recommended. I made appointments with all three (the initial appointment will be free, make sure you send panoramic x-rays ahead of time, you can request the images by email from your child's dentist). You'll either get three very different opinions or two of the same opinion and a third very different one. And you'll also get three very different prices. Go with the orthodontist you like the most and the treatment/price you are most comfortable with. In our case, two orthos recommended similar treatments and one wanted to pull teeth. I asked the dentist her opinion and she said she never recommended pulling teeth, so we went with one of the two that we liked the best and was closet the kids' school for mid-day appointments.

Thanks!

DC last had x rays 6 months ago--will he need new ones before initial orthodontic consults?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Making your mouth colder will decrease inflammation and make braces hurt a little less. Popsicles, ice cream, smoothies and shakes galore in the first week after braces are put on. Sucking on an ice cube helps, but you have to remember not to bite down on it.

Orthodontic wax can cover a bracket that’s rubbing a lip or cheek raw.

Flossing with braces is challenging. Add a Waterpik to your regimen.

Your dentist should be able to recommend orthodontists.

^^None of that is relevant if you go with Invisalign.

We asked orthodontists about Invisalign and they all recommended against it, especially for a tween, even though they would have made a lot more money on it. It's a terrible idea for a kid this age.

They make way less profit on Invisalign, that’s why. Lol. (It’s true) FWIW my DH is a dentist and DD is doing awesome with Invisalign but she is super responsible. On the other hand, my DH thinks he’ll have our DS do brackets when the time comes (doesn’t think DS will be responsible enough). Depends on the kid.

We switched from my insurance to DH’s insurance inbetween kids because they had lifetime caps on ortho so we got to “restart” the cal by switching. Just a tip to look into.

Anonymous wrote:Lot of kids don’t need it, it is way overdone in this country

It’s definitely true that Americans of a certain class level, the expectation and norm is to have perfect teeth. Even a generation ago there was a lot of “good enough” teeth and we didn’t get braces.

Then again their teeth look really good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Making your mouth colder will decrease inflammation and make braces hurt a little less. Popsicles, ice cream, smoothies and shakes galore in the first week after braces are put on. Sucking on an ice cube helps, but you have to remember not to bite down on it.

Orthodontic wax can cover a bracket that’s rubbing a lip or cheek raw.

Flossing with braces is challenging. Add a Waterpik to your regimen.

Your dentist should be able to recommend orthodontists.

^^None of that is relevant if you go with Invisalign.

We asked orthodontists about Invisalign and they all recommended against it, especially for a tween, even though they would have made a lot more money on it. It's a terrible idea for a kid this age.

Most orthos charge the same for Invisalign as regular braces now. Just FYI. It used to be more expensive.

Ours did not recommend against it. Pros and cons. Depends on the kid.

And then they are expected to sleep with the retainer on the top teeth.

Forever.

Expect a permanent retainer to be installed in the child’s mouth at the end, probably on the lower teeth.

Anonymous wrote:Lot of kids don’t need it, it is way overdone in this country

No way, Americans have nice smiles. That's definitely not true in other countries.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t be surprised when everything is going great and the orthodontist says the kid is on schedule and almost finished but then, oops, sees the 12-year molars coming in, and has to add 6 more months to the process.

Sounds like an incompetent orthodontist. Most look at X-rays so this wouldn't be a surprise. Mine wouldn't even put the braces on until the molars were in. How old was your kid when they got the braces?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I’d known how much having them taken off would hurt. DD was in so much pain. Glad I knew to book her for a teeth cleaning immediately after that though. Her teeth were filthy!

Thanks, any tips for dealing with the pain?

My DD found that chewing gum really helped, especially in the day or two after each adjustment. Something about the counter-pressure. Ortho said it was fine as long as it was sugarless, non-stick gum (most is, these days).

We’ve been told not to have gum with braces ..

Yeah, that’s like one of the Ten Commandments of braces - Thou Shalt Not Chew Gum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish I’d known how much having them taken off would hurt. DD was in so much pain. Glad I knew to book her for a teeth cleaning immediately after that though. Her teeth were filthy!

Thanks, any tips for dealing with the pain?

My DD found that chewing gum really helped, especially in the day or two after each adjustment. Something about the counter-pressure. Ortho said it was fine as long as it was sugarless, non-stick gum (most is, these days).

We’ve been told not to have gum with braces ..

Lot of kids don’t need it, it is way overdone in this country