[beth24]

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone out there used preventative measures in their 7-8 yr old to try and avoid braces later on (for e.g. plates, retainers etc). I met with a pediatric dentist today who specialises in this, but would like to know if anyone else has gone down this path. My 7 DD lost her baby teeth quite young and she alreading has problems with her adult teeth getting crowded (and thus crooked). Both myself and my husband both needed braces. My DD seems more like her father though (very small mouth/jaw and lots of teeth). The dentist doesn't believe in extractions, but expanding the jaw using retainers and mouthguards to allow room for adult teeth.

Would love to hear from anyone with experience going down this path, or starting their child on orthodontic work fairly young. Any recommendations in Sydney would be great also.

TIA
Beth

[ABeautifulLife]

Hi Beth,

My 2 oldest daughters have just finished their orthodontic treatment and it was a great success. They started their treatment at 8 and 9 years old, wore a expanding plate for over 6 months then moved to braces for around 6 months also. They have recently had their braces removed and wear a retainer every night. Our orthodontist is fantastic and believes in no extractions. My girls had not lost all thier baby teeth at the start of treatment and did lose a few during treatment which caused no problems. The plate can be quite uncomfortable and you may need to use panadol some nights early on as major teeth movement and jaw expansion happens quite quickly. Once they get used to both plate and then braces, it just becomes second nature. As long as my girls keep wearing their retainer every night their teeth should stay perfect. I think that getting the treatment at a younger age is much preferable as they are not too self concious yet and adjust easily. My 7 year old son starts his treatment in a few months and is actually looking forward to it (unfortunately all my children will need treatment so by the time my next 3 little ones are finished I will have probably bought my orthodontist a new car !!!) It can be a little more expensive than waiting till they are older, but even our orthodontist said younger children are much more easier to deal with and the treatment time is much quicker. My orthodontist is on the Sunshine Coast however if you want his contact details in case he knows someone in Sydney he can recommend please PM me.

[howdo]

As PP DDs have had plates since 6yrs. One will not need braces at all now. The other will be getting braces in the next year or two and should need few extractions if at all.

[melandned]

yep we are just finishing up braces with our 11.5 year old
he had an expander first (and had no problems with it) and my niece will be starting hers soon
we used Dr Mahoney at Randwick


yep we are just finishing up braces with our 11.5 year old
he had an expander first (and had no problems with it) and my niece will be starting hers soon
we used Dr Mahoney at Randwick

[soontobegran]

DD2 had orthodontics which started at age 7 and finished at at age 16

[i-candi]

Hi Beth,

My 2 oldest daughters have just finished their orthodontic treatment and it was a great success. They started their treatment at 8 and 9 years old, wore a expanding plate for over 6 months then moved to braces for around 6 months also. They have recently had their braces removed and wear a retainer every night. Our orthodontist is fantastic and believes in no extractions. My girls had not lost all thier baby teeth at the start of treatment and did lose a few during treatment which caused no problems. The plate can be quite uncomfortable and you may need to use panadol some nights early on as major teeth movement and jaw expansion happens quite quickly. Once they get used to both plate and then braces, it just becomes second nature. As long as my girls keep wearing their retainer every night their teeth should stay perfect. I think that getting the treatment at a younger age is much preferable as they are not too self concious yet and adjust easily. My 7 year old son starts his treatment in a few months and is actually looking forward to it (unfortunately all my children will need treatment so by the time my next 3 little ones are finished I will have probably bought my orthodontist a new car !!!) It can be a little more expensive than waiting till they are older, but even our orthodontist said younger children are much more easier to deal with and the treatment time is much quicker. My orthodontist is on the Sunshine Coast however if you want his contact details in case he knows someone in Sydney he can recommend please PM me.

Similar but we didn't start until DS was in last year of primary. The problem for DS is that his baby teeth are coming out very very slowly so it is delaying braces. DS wore a twin block appliance (google) full time to help change his jaw and we opened up the plate. DS now only has to wear it at night with no alterations until he is ready for braces and the orthodontist doesn't think it will be for another 8 months at least.

Then DD will start ..... argh

[~ky~]

We're the opposite.

We were told that both of our children were going to have terrible overcrowding requiring palate xpansion etc. We chose to wait until their jaws had grown more before making a decision - expecting to make it at around age 12.

DD just went for an orthodontic checkup and there is no longer any overcrowding, her teeth are settling into a very straight order and she will possibly even have room for wisdom teeth should she get them. DS had a quick review and they ave determined that his issues are lso resolving themselves.

Why did we take this approach?

DH had braces. In the past few years, the rear teeth that were used as anchors have crumbled and required extraction. All of his other teeth are in perfect condition although, slightly wonky as the braces work has started to slip over the years.

My parents were told a similar story with regard to overcrowding etc when I was 10yo. There was no way that they could afford orthodontic work for me, so I was just going to have to have the teeth I was "blessed with". By the time I was in high school, my jaw had grown and I was sporting a beautifully aligned set of teeth which even now, at age 42, I am complimented on during dentists visits. I have been fortunate enough to also have very strong teeth that ave not required filling which my kids appear to have inherited.