Orthodontic treatment

[Dancergirl]

Dd (13 and a half) is very keen to have orthodontic treatment as her teeth are very crooked.

She was referred about 18 months ago, he said it was too early, she still had 12 baby teeth to come out.

We have just been back for a follow up and there are still 6 baby teeth, some wobbly and some not. Some of the adult teeth are coming in behind so not pushing them out.

He said we can either wait another year or to speed things up, she could have them removed at the dentist. She's a bit nervous about having teeth out but is considering it as she's so keen on the treatment. I imagine as they are wobbly they will come out fairly easily but she's worried about the injection.

Has anyone had similar?

[16augustholiday]

DS had three teeth removed at the dentist. He did have the injection but that was the worst part of it. He had them removed two at a time then the 3rd one another time. They came out without too much pulling.

We sweetened the deal by saying the tooth fairy paid £5 per tooth that the dentist had to take out. He was pretty chuffed with that!

[WestCoastGirl]

Dd had some baby teeth removed prior to orthodontic treatment at about the same age as they just weren't budging. She had an injection but it was fine. Then we had to wait a while for some adult teeth to move down and then another two adult teeth were removed before the braces were fitted.
Dd was a proper drama queen but it was all OK so I'd say go for it and get on with the treatment.

[swingofthings]

I had that exact treatment as an adult myself. Frankly, it is really not pleasant. It's not the pain, but the whole experience. The anticipation, the sitting on the chair, the feeling of intrusion, the discomfort, the ever ending treatment.

The irony is that I decided to go ahead with the treatment because my DD did before me and I was amazed with the results. I can say that she moaned much less about it than I did! Indeed, it seems that teenagers are much more resilient, maybe because many of their friends go through it and accept that they have no choice to it.

In regards to the teeth taken out, it is not worse than the pain you feel when the braces are first being put on. It's more of an unpleasant experience than a painful one. The injection is so quick, even if painful (I don't remember that it was particularly), it's over before you know it.

[Dancergirl]

Thank you. I do worry about how dd will cope with the whole process, she is dyspraxic and has sensory issues. BUT she has made massive improvements recently. She goes to the hygienist as her teeth are hard to clean and has gone from not wanting the hygienist to even touch her teeth with the brush to having a scale and polish! She found it hard but got through it.

[flowergirl456]

All three of mine have had orthodontic treatment. They were late starting because of slow baby teeth, and at one point we were worried the braces wouldn't be completed before Uni.
They all reacted differently, my dd had a really rough time. She had to have a tooth `exposed' to encourage it to grow, this meant an general anesthetic so they could dig a hole into the gum. It was very painful and she actually had to have a bandage inside her mouth to prevent it healing too quickly - it was awful, couldn't eat for a fortnight. She also had to have blocks for a term which caused her to lisp and they looked unslightly. She was very good about it though and has beautiful teeth now.
My second dd was more concerned about her appearance and hated the brace, really really hated it, more so than the daughter who had the op strangely. Because of the baby teeth problem she didn't start the brace until 16.
My son by contrast has been pretty laid back about it all considering. It helped that I'd got wise by this time and changed orthodontists. The first one apparently had finger nails, so they were digging into the gum when he held their jaw to tighten the brace - this was the most painful aspect of the treatment. He was also dismissive and unhelpful and rushed the kids through without much care. And I wasn't a 100% confident he wasn't spinning out the treatment to get more money off the NHS. And for other reasons I suspect the hospital treatment on my daughter was brutal and unnecessary. The last orthodontist has been much better. Of course it is always sore when they tighten the brace but I don't think it should be too bad.
So my advice is get recommendations from other parents as to which is the best orthodontist near you!

[GasLightShining]

When my DD was about 8 she needed a filling (problem was she would not even sit in the chair for the dentist to examine her teeth) and was referred to a special clinic where it took a few appointments to actually get to the filling part. Can your dentist refer you to such a clinic?

My DD is needle phobic. She must have been slightly older than your DD and needed treatment involving a needle. Her dentist was brilliant (went way up in my estimations). He knew how she felt as she had previously refused injections for fillings. Could you speak to the dentist so he/she knows how DD feels and take things slowly.

Hope all goes well