Orthodontist

[east-of-the-Rye]

Don't know how many parents of older children read this section but if any one has any ideas, please respond. My 12yr old son was refered to an orthodontist in this area because of his crowded, crooked teeth.(Adult ones regularly appear before milk teeth fall out.) The orthodontist asked him how he felt about his teeth and whether he wanted them to look better. C. answered that he thought they looked alright - not an unreasonable answer given that his appearence is not of much interest to him at the moment, and I'd never told him his teeth were a problem. The O. said he could only work with children who wanted to improve their appearence. I said that I wasn't looking for american style perfection, but just a healthy set of teeth, which made things much worse and he's told us to go away and think. But quickly because if C is to have a brace it has to be soon because he's in a growth spurt. I do understand that a child has to co-operate with the whole teeth extraction/brace/extra cleaning etc., but although I think I can cause C to do this, I'm not sure I can get him to look the O. in the face and say "Yes I want beautiful teeth". Has anyone else had this experience? And how did you deal with it?

[Pickle]

No experience as such, but just wanted to say I'd be a bit dubious about being told you need to get the brace quickly due to a growth spurt. My younger sister has worked as a chairside assistant for orthodontists for the last 9 years and they treat people of all ages - her partner got a brace fitted when he was 23, and one of her colleagues got treatment in her 40's.

I guess ideally the treatment happens sooner rather than later, but there's nothing to say your son couldn't wait and have his teeth sorted when he's older and starting to appreciate the benefits.

Good luck x

[lorraineliyanage]

Having had some serious orthodontic treatment when younger, I do remember that they need to start it early, mine started around age 11 and was finished by 15, which is quite a long stretch as my teeth were very problematic. It is preferable to get the braces on early and then get them taken off when not in your older teens I think. It's a tough one - I am sure if your son doesn't have braces now, he will wish he had done so when he's in his twenties, but then orthodontic treatment will be a lot more expensive. Isn't it part-subsidised at least for children, or is that not the case anymore? (It was completely free on the NHS when I had mine but I know that's not the case anymore!)

[womanofdulwich]

my teenage son has had a brace for 3-4 years as a baby tooth had not come out and hence adult teeth were growing horizontally underneath- but when we went to Guys they said he also had an over bite and hence he has been severely wired up . we did ask to have the brace taken off as he had had enough of it and the Guys dentists were horrified as said " this is not private dentistry - it is not for cosmetic reasons etc -we are doing what is best for your son. it has been hard work looking after the brace. is it possible to go to guys/ kings directly - self refer? I am sure they would not ask such a ridiculous question- I would ask for a second opinion first- i have heard of private orthodontists being quite harsh and making patients sign up on the spot for ?2,000 plus of orthodontics

[minder]

Nothing is free anymore! My now 16 year old had his brace on at 12 for two years and now has 'perfect teeth'. He had to have two top and two bottom teeth out due to overcrowding. This was then FREE treatment. This wasn't considered cosmetic but necessary treatment at the time.

My now 13 year old had an appointment at the dentist a year ago who said he thought she would need braces. Went to the orthodontist to be told no and if I said yes would have to pay ?2,500 with ?600 on the spot! Apparently the "rules" have now changed and she was 1 mm out of their range to qualify for free treatment.

I asked for a second opinion at another ortho (they are few and far between) and they said she does qualify for free treatment and I have an appointment for her in September after being on a waiting list.

I want to get my daughter's teeth sorted but couldn't afford ?2,500. The second ortho said I don't have to pay.

I think a lot of kids will miss out of this and we will see the consequences in a few years time.

[huncamunca]

Could I ask which Orthodontists you have visited? I am going to have to go down this route with my son in a few years and it would be good to know where's recommended and which to avoid

[redjam]

I think it's a bit weird of the orthodontist to expect any 12-year-old boy to admit to wanting 'beautiful teeth' - surely no self-respecting nearly-teenage lad would say that in any circumstances? I say shop around for someone you feel comfortable with - you'll be going back for monthly repositionings for at least a year so it needs to be someone you trust. But I do think your son needs to want to do it for himself before embarking on any treatment, or at least be convinced of its merits. I speak as a veteran of ten different braces as a teenager - I spent about three years in the buggers - and I can vouch for how miserable they were. The worst thing was that when I was about eighteen my wisdom teeth came through and knocked all my other teeth out of alignment again, so I ended up having another year of fixed braces, top and bottom, in my early thirties, as I became very self-conscious about my overlapping gnashers. I absolutely loathed having braces with a passion, but I gritted my teeth (no pun intended) as I felt the gain was worth the pain - both in cosmetic terms and also just so you have healthy teeth. So my advice would be encourage your son to do it now to get it over with, but find someone you like to do it as you'll find you'll be seeing quite a lot of them.