Advice on braces - whether or not have them fitted

ailuro2

Hi folks,

I'm hoping someone out there has been in a similar position to us and can offer advice on how they made a decision.

DD has been to see orthodontist, has been approved for funding and orthodontist is recommeding top and bottom tracks to realign a dodgy tooth, bring together the gaps in her bottom teeth and reduce a small overbite. To proceed with treatment would mean DD losing 2 teeth.

It's the losing of teeth bit that is worrying me, she has never had a filling or any other work done on her teeth, and the orthodontist himself classed it as quite a mild case so it is being done for mostly cosmetic reasons.

Can anyone who had the same decision to make care to share whether or not they went ahead, and how they managed to make the decision. DD is 11 1/2 so we would of course take her feelings into account. She says her teeth are horrible, but doesn't want to have her teeth out either.

Thanks in advance for helping out!:D

Sublime_2

I had braces when I was a child and had to have 3 teeth removed permanently. I had too many teeth. They were going to remove 4 :eek:.

There was no gap in my teeth at all after wearing braces.

Bo_Peep

hi ailuro2,

I had two teeth out and a brace fitted (one of the removable plate-type ones) when I was 13, so a bit older than your DD. To be honest I can't remember much about making the decision but I think my mum and I probably spoke about it a bit and she convinced me that it would be worth it for the end result - i.e. a year or so with a brace for a lifetime of nicer teeth.

I wouldn't worry too much about the removal of teeth part. Is it that you are worried about how she will cope with it (is she scared of dentists?) or more that you are worried it might not be necessary? Not sure how to advise you on that one but I had the two teeth out in one go and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I remember my mum giving me a treat afterwards and not having to go to school for the rest of the day so I thought it was worth it at the time!

Once the brace was fitted and I went back into school that day, I had the whole class crowding around me trying to get me to say things like 'silly sausages' to see if I spoke funny as I was the first in my class to have a brace. The only teasing I got was from my brother, so no worries about the other kids having a go or anything.

I had to go back regularly to have it tightened and I hated that as for a day or two afterwards it would feel sore, but when I had it taken off for good, the results were well worth it. I look at how I looked in my old school photos before I had it done and the difference is noticeable.

If you are veering towards wanting her to have it done, I would say to stress how it will only be short term but will give differences that will last a lifetime. Try to get her to look into the future when she's 15, 16 years old and how she will want nice teeth then but it might be too late to have the corrective treatment at that age. I don't know, but I know I was told that it was best to have it done while I was that young. It may be different in your DD's case.

Anyway, hope my ramblings were helpful and that you manage to make a decision you're all happy with. Bear in mind that if she does go through with it and it's a removable brace, there may be some days where she just gets fed up with it and doesn't want to wear it. Whenever I had one of those days, my mum would just remind me that it wasn't doing my teeth any good in the drawer and that I wouldn't see the results if I didn't put up with the hassle for a bit longer.

Bo.

captainprincess

I had braces on my top and bottom teeth when I was 12. I had to have 4 teeth out (all at the same time) cos my mouth was far too small.
I don't remember it ever being a decision to make, it was something that had to be done and I am very grateful it was!
My teeth are now perfectly straight which they most definitly would not have been without the braces!
I have a friend who cut her own brace off when she first got it when she was 11 and refused to have another now, she would love to have straight teeth but can no way afford a brace now!
I would say go for it, otherewise it might be something your dd regrets when she is older.

ailuro2

These replies are fantastic (nearly wrote fangtastic,lol)

I will let DD read it, am also hoping for a few from the other side of the fence where it didn't work, or where people decided not to go for it and were glad.....just to keep things balanced.

Her teeth really don't look too bad, though on the impressions you can see they are a bit worse when you can view them from all angles (that's a bit freaky, seeing her teeth, but made in white plaster)

It pains me that she'd lose two good teeth for cosmetic reasons, but because my own teeth aren't very straight I can see why it would be a good thing too. DH has good straight teeth, but says he's veering towards voting not to have the work done as he had teeth out as a young lad and found it very traumatic.

bertiebots

My ds has just had his upper tracks removed after 2 1/2 years of treatment. He has had spacers followed by 2 types of expanders (these fit across the roof of the mouth to expand the upper jaw). He had to have 2 teeth removed as well. Then the train tracks where put on his upper teeth a year ago. These have been checked ,adjusted etc every 8 weeks and finally came off last month. He now is wearing a clear silicone(sp?) retainer which is design to stop his teeth slipping back, first 3 weeks for 24/7 and as from next week just overnight. You cant even see it when he is wearing it !
Its been a long slog and they haven't even started on his bottom teeth yet! They are waiting to see if his jaw grows before deciding on treatment. It will be reviewed in 6 months.
I dont ever remember not considering the treatment because he was very self concious before the treatment . He was a bit concerned about having to wear the tracks but luckily a friend had them done at the same time and he has never had any problems from other kids.
His top teeth are now beautiful and he looks so much happier and smiles so much more. Waiting till adulthood would not only have been damaging for his confidence but treament would have been more complicated and very expensive!
I would say go for it ...the gaps left by the tooth removal will not show and your dd will feel so much better when its all over. I am so pleased my son has had the work done so far and so is he. It really is worth it:D

Bo_Peep

Hi ailuro2,

No offence meant by this at all, but if your DH's only reason for being against the treatment is because he had a traumatic experience some years ago, by all means consider this but bear in mind that the procedure has probably moved on a bit now even since I had it done and you can find dentists who are good with nervous patients and/or children. I had my teeth removed at our local dentist who treated adults and children and I was fine, but I wasn't aware there was any other option at the time. When I got a bit older and had to have some fillings done I had found a better dentist who only dealt with children and who really helped me over my dentist-fear. I wouldn't say it was a phobia but I was definitely a nervous patient until then, lol.

Bo.

only_mee

Was the best thing my daughter ever did, her teeth are absolutely perfect and look so nice when she smiles. (20 now)

Sublime_2

ailuro2 wrote: »

DH has good straight teeth, but says he's veering towards voting not to have the work done as he had teeth out as a young lad and found it very traumatic.

Please let your Daughter get the work done. I had two braces between the ages of 9, and 11. The first was to pull my teeth in, and the second to get rid of the teeth that were crammed against each other.

My teeth look fine now, although I have fillings, and am glad that I had the work done. Athough I wasn't really consulted about it at the time, I understood that it was important to have it done.

emma12345

My son had 3 teeth out and a brace fitted 2 years ago (when he was 14) for cosmetic reasons.

TBH I was against it as I thought it would be too uncomfortable for him but let him make the decision and didn't try to put him off (well not too much anyway). He went ahead with it.

Well a few weeks ago he had the brace taken off and he now has perfect straight teeth. I was wrong to have doubts, it has been worth it in the long run. I hated him having the teeth out and when they adjust the brace but children usually cope better than you think they will and he has never regretted having the brace for one second (he's 16 now).

Also consider that treatment is free for the under 16's. If you decide against it now and your daughter then changes her mind and wants it done later in life braces are very expensive.

freakyogre

From a different viewpoint, I wasn't offered braces when I was younger. My dentist eventually suggested it when I was about 17 (they seemed ok to me before this), but by this point I didn't want them at that age, plus they would have cost a fortune as I was over 16.

I hate my teeth. The bottom ones aren't too bad, but my top teeth are crooked and I really wish I had been given the opportunity to get them sorted when I was younger. I am going to speak to my dentist when I am next there to see if anything can be done, but even if it can, I think the cost of it will be horrendous.