Overenthusiastic orthodontist

[Anycrispsleft]

I was wondering if anyone could give me a bit of perspective who has kids whove already had braces? My DD (11) had one molar come in a bit funny due to the milk tooth not coming out, she was then referred to an orthodontist and once they had a look at her teeth they found a whole lot more stuff they wanted to work on. They say her bottom teeth are too far back and that her bite isn't correct because of this, and so they recommend a non-fixed brace, top and bottom for a year to 18 months to correct these big problems, then a similar time period with fixed braces (these sort of studs that fix onto the individual teeth) followed by maybe 6 months of a retainer. It seems a long time of braces for what we initially thought was not that serious a problem, and what worries me a bit is that where we live (in Germany on the border to Switzerland) there is a big trade in cross border dentistry, especially cosmetic treatments, as it's a lot cheaper here than in Switzerland. I was asking the orthodontist whether there were any differences in comfort in terms of the various options and she seemed really surprised and unprepared for that question, she spent more time explaining how lucky we were that the health insurance will pay for all the work! I would prefer that my DD gets the work done that she needs for her teeth to be healthy, and that if there is a cosmetic aspect to the treatment, that is something she could decide to go for herself when she is a bit older. I don't know what I'm asking here exactly, just that if you have experiences good or bad, could you share them? Is it just not an issue about the comfort, am I worrying for nothing? Or is it like with childbirth where wheb pressed they say things like "well of course you will feel some discomfort, that's to be expected" and actually it means it will hurt like he'll?

I would do it all now, cosmetic or not. Waiting means other issues arise and it also takes so much longer the older you are. I had braces at 22 and all the work ended up taking 4 years whereas it would have been 2 if I was younger. They are painful the couple of days you get them on and then each time they get tightened but definitely worth it.

I think many children have braces these days whereas in the past they wouldn’t. Orthodontists seem to want perfection! My DS1, I thought had perfect teeth but they said he had a slightly overbite so had 9 months of a retainer and a year of fixed braces. He hasn’t been bothered by any of it and at least he will have perfect teeth.

This has all been free. I can’t comment on the difference in countries but I don’t think they’d suggest treatment if it’s not needed. 11 is quite young but I think they start girls younger than boys (DS was 12 when he started with the retainer).

It’s much better to do now than wait until you’re an adult. You could always get a second opinion.

The original dentist referred you for what she could see. But wasn't qualified to know the extent of the work required. I would get it done now, loads of kids have braces.

Much better to have braces at a young age when most of their peers have them than have them as an adult in my opinion. We took ours for what looked like a minor cosmetic issue (wholly expecting to have to pay) but in fact there were a lot of functional issues behind it and he needed similar sounding work to yours (and the NHS paid!).

Misaligned bites can cause a lot of dental
issues when older so definitely worth getting sorted now.

Orthodontics is part of preventive care and can minimize or eliminate future problems. Children who have had Ortho treatment usually will have better hygiene habits.

Adult orthodontic treatment is not reimbursed; your daughter would have to pay out of pocket.

Amazing you got treated for bite issues at a good age. Any older and your child would be facing surgery.

Yes I am very grateful. 2 lots of orthodontic treatment for overbites on the NHS. I have literally not paid a penny and we get seen every 6 weeks.

I’m very grateful for the NHS orthodontic treatment my two DCs have had/are having. DD had fixed braces for about 18 months and then a retainer which two years on she still has to wear once a week. DS has fixed braces now and will have them on for around two years. His teeth were extremely crowded. Both DC had to have four teeth removed before the braces were fitted. Both found it uncomfortable every time the braces were tightened and had to eat soup and ice cream for a couple of days but they get used to it and it’s worth it in the end.

Your average person doesn't always Orthodontic problems. It's not always about just having teeth that look straight. Get the treatment whilst she's young. I had braces at 30!

I'd go for the braces but I do agree that orthodontists look for absolute perfection. My 3 kids have all had braces - luckily all reimbursed my health insurance as it has probably cost €70000 for the all of them! Last one is nearly finished and can't wait!

I added a zero - should be €7000!!!

@Delatron an overbite isn't perfection though....

My daughters braces are on for 24 months. I was glad she got her teeth sorted on the NHS instead of having to pay thousands!

My 14 year old just finished with braces. Took 18 months start to finish and fairly smooth process. No pain getting them on or at the end getting them off. Mouth ulcers for a few days when they first went on and uncomfortable for a day or so when they were tightend. Teeth are perfect, would definitely recommend.

Main headaches were time off work/school for app so probably better at 11 than towards exam years.

No I do agree. I just hadn’t noticed - his teeth looked fine to me. I think that was my point we think we are looking for crooked, sticky out teeth when we can’t spot other issues. My DS2 had a very obvious overbite but I didn’t spot it in DS1.

I do think more kids wear braces these days than back in the 70s/80s and that’s a good thing.

I would say get the braces if it's for a misaligned bite as that is something that isn't going to get better on it's own. I'm not sure I would bother if it's just for cosmetic reasons. And I would run a mile if they start talking about removing adult teeth to "make room" as it doesn't always work out. I had four premolars removed at age 9 and still ended up with crowded, overlapping teeth as an adult plus a very narrow face and jaw from the resultant bone loss.

OP im also in DE and all 3 DC have had orthodontic treatment, it's much more common and thorough than in the UK. Your insurance will only pay if it's deemed medically necessary- so if they think it's only cosmetic you'll not be covered if you're through a Krankenkasse. But, IME it's usually fudged as it seems every kid locally has fixed braces, in my small town there are at least three orthodontic practices!

It's easier to do it now for your DD whilst things are still growing / moving than once everything is fixed in place.

We pay a small element of the cost which once the treatment is successfully concluded we get refunded - think it's 10%. Be aware that the dentists are super strict on hygiene and you can be deemed non compliant if you don't clean well enough and that can impact on the costs/repayments.

I think far less kids now have braces! In the 90s we ALL had them at school, all NHS. Now they are much more strict about who qualifies and who doesn’t. If you qualify it’s crazy not to get them sorted while they are under 18.

My DS has braces. Started when he was 12. There was some discomfort/mild pain for the first few days and then sometimes for 24 hours after he has them tightened (usually every 6-8 weeks). But the difference they have made to his teeth is amazing. Unfortunately we had to pay private as the only two NHS orthodontist practices in the area were absolutely terrible. But still worth it.

I noticed a few of you have mentioned x months of wearing a retainer. I'm a bit curious about this as I had some orthodontic work done as an adult and I was told I needed to wear my retainer every night for life otherwise the teeth might move back.

@user898191891 my DD had to wear the retainer permanently for a period of a few months and then just at night for a while longer. They then said she should continue to wear it at night at least once or twice a week for life if she wants to retain the results. Whether she sticks to that or not, I’m not sure (she is 17 and busy living her best life and doesn’t really answer to her boring old mum any more 😂😬)

Thanks everyone for your perspectives, it's good to hear that other people have had good outcomes, and agree that fixing the bite is important - and by the time it gets to the fixed braces my DD will be 13 and better able to put up with it/tell me what she wants to do herself. I had teeth taken out for overcrowding at almost exactly her age and afterwards was offered, and turned down, fixed braces to sort out some small irregularities in my teeth - it was done through the dental school in Glasgow, which I believe at that time was basically the only way to get orthodontist treatment without paying - and it was very much no frills, typical NHS. Like @doradoo I've noticed that a LOT of German kids get braces, and I do suspect that if you keep turning up at the orthodontist for the yearly checkup they'll eventually find something to fix. Thanks for the heads up on the hygiene by the way.

Can I ask, for those of you whose kids got a non fixed braces, what type did they get? There were two types that we saw, one in two pieces and one that is one whole piece. My DD was keen on the two piece one because her school colleague has it, but the orthodontist was trying to convince us to take the one piece one.

Did you have Invisalign? If so the teeth are unstable and you wear the retainer for life.

@TomorrowToday No it was an Inman aligner.

Same principle, removable brace so results aren't stable.