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Teenagers

DD is getting very upset about having braces

36 replies

vilamoura2003 · 18/06/2018 11:22

DD has a couple of teeth that need sorting out - they are not horrendous, one has come through quite high up on the right had side of her smile and that means we are covered under the NHS. Dentists have said she has a very slight overbite which they want to correct first (personally I didn't think there was much wrong with that - but hey ho), and then two teeth out and fixed brace to move everything into place and bring the tooth down.

DD doesn't seem overly keen. She says she doesn't mind it - she is 13 and my thinking is that we need to crack on with this now - it will be 2 years and that will mean it will be done and dusted by the end of year 10 - ready for GCSE year and Prom year to be brace free.

Poor DD though is getting quite emotional about them and says she thinks people will think she is ugly and that she will get picked on. Her friends may not like her anymore etc.

Should I just tell her to suck it up princess and crack on Confused.

I really think that if I leave it, when she is an adult she will regret not having it done, but feel quite mean........

Any advice? Do the kids still pick on the kids with braces?

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SoupDragon · 18/06/2018 11:26

Pretty much every kid has braces now don't they? She may just be the first.

I would definitely encourage her to do it - better now than wishing she’d had it done earlier .

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TheEmmaDilemma · 18/06/2018 11:47

It's a bit crap (I had braces in high school) but she'll really regret leaving it if she doesn't do it now.

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GetInMyNelly · 18/06/2018 11:53

I'm a 28 yr old single mother (single part is relevant because I date) & am about to get braces in the next few months! Blush

When I had them at 13, I was told I was the second prettiest girl in my year (with braces). None of my friends changed towards me.

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Chopchopbusybusy · 18/06/2018 11:59

NHS now has quite strict criteria for braces. So if she qualifies then I’d say it’s work that does need done rather than just cosmetic. When DD had her braces on the NHS we had to go for a group appointment/workshop type thing with the dental nurses who explained in great detail what they would do and the responsibilities of the patient. They emphasised that if the patient wasn’t 100% on board with the treatment that they shouldn’t have it. Retainers are needed for life after treatment so it is a big commitment.
If your DD is not keen maybe you should leave it for a year or so.
Oh and they also had some great before and after pictures. Maybe you can find some online to encourage her.

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vilamoura2003 · 18/06/2018 12:46

Thanks for the replies. My worry is if we leave it another year, that will mean she will be wearing them through year 11 - so potential discomfort through GCSEs and then the school has a prom after GCSEs. If she has them now, she will be done by the end of year 10.

She wants her hair dip dyed so I may just resort to bribery....... Grin

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autumnleaves101 · 18/06/2018 12:48

Ahh I can see why she would be upset but honestly she should get them whilst they are free. I am 28 and have just paid quite a few thousand pounds for braces as I never had them when I was younger, albeit invisible braces but if I could go back in time I would have definitely got them done when I was younger for free

Plus she will be the envy of her friends in a couple of years time when she has perfect teeth!

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rainbowfudgee · 18/06/2018 12:49

If she doesn't she may regret it later. I've spent 3k on adult braces. Best to do it now while it's free!

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dementedpixie · 18/06/2018 12:49

Braces never stopped me getting a boyfriend (he is now my husband!). Dd has hers just now and has had them for over a year (age 14 now). Loads of kids have them and she has never been picked on for them. She also wears glasses and again has never had bother over it.

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GetInMyNelly · 18/06/2018 15:54

Be prepared that the braces could be on for up to 2 years. I was told a year and then they kept pushing it back.

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parkermoppy · 18/06/2018 22:57

She will regret it if she doesn't do it! I felt the exact same and my parents made me, but my cousin decided not to. Then saved up for years later to get them as an adult.

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user1467313952 · 18/06/2018 23:03

Awe. I can understand you poor Daughter being upset, but believe me, she will not regret it.
None of my friends had braces when o was growing up. I was invited to a friend's formal when I was on year 11, he was in year 12, a week after I was invited I was told I was getting train tracks in. I was gutted but I'm so relieved it happened then. Turns out I only needed them for a year and got them off the week before my own year 12 formal and I felt like a million pounds!!!! I couldn't stop smiling and have perfectly straight teeth now.
I still had all of my friends and soon got used to the braces.
Good luck with your Daughter.

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windowing · 18/06/2018 23:05

DD is in year 8- class of 20 kids with 17 of them having braces! She soon won't be the only one

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Irenee976 · 18/06/2018 23:07

Braces are quite cool now. My Son has just had his off. I refused braces when I was younger and regret it now xx

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Solo · 18/06/2018 23:19

I had braces when I was 49 - 51 Grin Best thing I ever did and your dd should look beyond the classroom imo as a). They won't always be free. b). It's just better when you are young and can enjoy your young and gorgeous years of straight teeth. Do tell her that it can be really quite painful though. Also, although you'll probably have to pay for them, get her permanent retainers; so much better and she'll never get out of the habit of putting them in at night when her teeth will start twisting again.

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Irenee976 · 19/06/2018 07:29

My Sons retainers were free after his braces came off. He's got posh invisaline ones x

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TeenTimesTwo · 19/06/2018 14:43

I bet loads of her peers have braces. DD y8 has had them since last September. Much better imo to push through now and get them done before y11. DD has to miss a lesson for appointments and at the moment we have PE/Music/Tech & French to miss without impact. Once she hits y10 it will all be GCSE subjects so a bigger deal.

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Cliveybaby · 19/06/2018 14:52

have them now!
I had them at 13 and hated them but it was so common. Glad with hindsight that my mum made me!
Bribery might soften the blow :)

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Flowerfae · 19/06/2018 15:21

They will be worth it in the long run, also braces now are a lot less noticeable then they used to be.

My DD who is 12 needs a lot of dental work doing, she had encephalitis when she was 2 and as her teeth were developing, whatever caused the encephalitis stopped the enamel from forming on her teeth. So her teeth are really yellow, worse at the front.

She needs braces to straighten them all out, after some more of her adult teeth come through. Then they putting veneers onto her teeth.

She HATES the dentist.. she's slightly better with it now because we've moved her to another dentist, and she's a lot more relaxed with them (we had to take her to private practice because NHS wouldn't even consider doing anything with her teeth until she mid-teens at the least, and veneers are cosmetic, so I don't think they would do those) I do have to keep telling her it will be worth it in the end though.

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LemonysSnicket · 19/06/2018 15:23

Everyone has braces around that age, they're fine, she will really regret it if she doesn't do it now. It's a lot more expensive and embarrassing as an adult.

I loved my braces, they made my lips look fuller and nobody ever commented on them. I also had surgery and teeth out with the brace pulling teeth forward.

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LIZS · 19/06/2018 15:26

At 13 I'd be surprised if she were the first. Typically girls have them earlier to take advantage of the growth phase. They can be pretty cool with coloured bands etc. Noone seems to bat an eyelid now. Ds was resistant initially and eventually had them at 15. (Don't tell her treatment took 4 years, partly due to missing some of the growth spurt)

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itcuddles · 19/06/2018 15:28

Oh bless her. I felt the same at her age and decided against braces, this only resulted in me paying thousands to have braces in my 20s instead and resenting my parents a little bit for not pushing me to have them when I was a teen.

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Thespringsthething · 19/06/2018 15:28

Give her a bit of time. My dd was upset initially about the thought of having braces but lots of other children having them and her thinking about it over a few months (during the waiting time) meant she's happy to go ahead now.

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JurassicGirl · 19/06/2018 15:43

I had similar issues at 13 & chickened out of having a brace, I regretted it until finally at 24 i had one fitted. It was on for 27 months (took longer as I was older) it has been the BEST thing I've ever done.

Every photo of me before had a closed mouth smile now it's a totally natural smile & I don't even think about it now.

I wish i could go back & have a brace whilst i was at school where it's so much more common!

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WhoKnowsWhereTheW1neGoes · 19/06/2018 15:57

Just going through the same, assessment is booked in for a few weeks time. Can someone explain the retainers please? Neither DH or I or any of our siblings had braces so no experience to fall back on.

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BeefyCakes · 19/06/2018 16:08

I had braces for a long time as a teenager I had a mouth like a vandalised graveyard, including too many teeth, tooth material in the roof of my mouth massive gaps, teeth too low in my mouth, seriously they were a mess!

There will be other kids with them in her year. She won't be the only one.

Just remind her that, although her teeth and smile are already beautiful, a little bit of help to straighten and move the other teeth will be worth it in the end. Think of the prom photos.

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