Teeth braces drama

[Hayleyoldnewwm]

Please tell me about braces as I never personally had them so have experience.

My son (13) is due to have his braces fitted in 2 weeks on both lower/ top jaw, however he so not keen and refuses this!
When he had the images taken last month, he got really upset to the actual tears, which is really unusual with him but he usually hates anything to be put in his mouth- like a gag reflex.
However he has some overbite on his top teeth, both front teeth slightly poking- leaning a bit flat out if his lips and must have some on the lower side too as the dentist said he needs both sets.

Talk to me please about the fitting and afterwards as DS is absolutely upset with worries and also especially DH having had his braces himself when he was a teen, who says how bad it was, how much uncomfortable it was etc.

Obviously I want my DS to had them fitted as very grateful he was offered on the Nhs and I would be absolutely mad to refuse this ( the dentist said we can refuse if DS not too keen)
So please tell me your kids had them and were happy!

Loads of DD's friends have had them. So many kids have braces these days that teasing seems to be less of an issue.
It can be uncomfortable - especially when they are adjusted and you need to keep up with any retainers and good hygiene.
Without exception they all look brilliant when the braces come off. Also better for bite alignment, headaches etc. It's more than cosmetic.

My daughter just had the top fitted at first (could that be a compromise?). She needed her top teeth to move first but worth talking to the orthodontist.

It hasn't been bad at all. Get the wax to put on the brace if it rubs, some paracetamol before you go and Anbesol liquid for any sore patches in your mouth. Soft bite sized foods for a day or two helps and we went for favourite foods too. Daughter (and I) found it uncomfortable for a couple of days when first fitted and we both had the odd sore patch where it rubbed. The change has been dramatic for my daughter in just 6mo. Now it's just a little tight feeling when the wire is changed, no sore patches and she doesn't use the wax at all now either.

If he refuses now he’ll be crying in 20 years time when he sees his Invisalign bill.

My boy had them a year ago at 13. Taking the prints is probably the worst bit so your child has done that already. The fitting and the adjustments take a few minutes and he's been totally fine with them. His teeth were overlapping all over the place and only 1 year on they are now straight and being pushed back together. So quick! He might only need them for 4/5 more months and they look great and he can clean them all much easier than when they were overlapping. The orthontists are amazing now and so, so many children have braces compared to 30 years ago.

He had 4 teeth out too and was a total soldier.

Don't let your DH scare him with stories of 90's braces. They are mush better now.
Just breeze your boy through it with loads of cheery positive support.

He'll be fine.

@GettingColdFeet
Yes, he will get top set first as he still has the odd milky tooth on the bottom.

All three of my DC had them and so did I when I was younger. Yes, they are really painful for the first couple of days (and every time you go back to get them tightened). It is worth it though.

I have had braces as an adult, twice! I have them at the moment for the 2nd time, for a short stint of 9 months, as I stopped wearing my retainer when I was pregnant with my youngest and one of my front teeth moved a lot. I hated it, so wanted to get it fixed again (and I will wear my retainer religiously this time!)

I should have had braces as a teenager. I was offered them but refused and my mother didn't force the issue. I now really regret my decision because I hated my teeth as an adult and it has been very expensive getting them done privately. My advice is to work with your son to overcome his issues as it is much better to to get braces now than regret it later in life.

The device they put in your mouth to have the images taken is very bulky and uncomfortable but the actual braces themselves are fine. I have a bit of tenderness/slight pain when the wire is adjusted but it settles down after a few days. The wire poking out can also be uncomfortable, but this is easily sorted with some dental wax.

My son threw up in the chair when he had his impressions done, his gag reflex being a bit too sensitive. Tad embarrassing all round.
I thought the rest would be a nightmare as he has asd but it was actually ok and he soon got used to the braces and coped pretty well.

He did refuse to have a retainer as he would have had to have had another impression made. Luckily his teeth have stayed straight.

I had them a few years ago and if he has had the moulds that really is the worst part in terms of gagging as the rest of the time they are working on the front of the teeth.

First few days after fitting and adjustments are sore but paracetamol and wax really help. Soft foods are a must too.

I had an overbite and having it treated as an adult meant I needed double jaw surgery so if they can fix his with braces then I really encourage him to go with it.

Please please please encourage him to have them. Tell him how much they cost and he'll have to pay for them if he changes his mind in the future! They're thousands please get them for free now!

I was an orthodontic dental nurse for years and have had braces twice... cos I didn't wear my retainer. So they will feel big and bulky for a day or 2, lots of soft foods. But honestly every single patient and myself included thought it was so weird when they were off because you really do get so used to them they just become part of life.

You can get different coloured bands or have them plain so that's fun getting to choose!

Jumping on this thread for any useful tips as I'm in the same boat, my DD is soon to have braces fitted but luckily she has been a trooper about it. I never had them so I'm not really sure what to expect other than monthly adjustment appointments. I've bought her an electric toothbrush which has a special attachment for cleaning in between braces.

That will be good as it will just be uncomfortable on the top and not both. It does feel odd but honestly it wasn't terrible. Anbesol liquid is brilliant for mouth ulcers, stings for a few seconds then zero pain.

The impressions were always the worst bit too and he's had that done. They always made me gag. My daughter also had four teeth removed and that was worse than the brace. I guess it's all relative.

We hugely bigged up the braces and as we went privately we always joke that her teeth are sponsored by granny (granny paid!). Made it all quite funny.

My DS was 13 and was dreading it too. But he’s about 6 months in and even he would admit very cheerfully that it was nowhere nearly as bad as he feared. He sailed through the device which corrected his overbite with no problems. He’s now got brackets and wires top and bottom and found these a bit painful and sensitive for the first couple of days but nothing that some paracetamol couldn’t shift and now he barely notices them. Though he misses his Haribo habit!

One of my DDs had braces on the nhs and both she and I had to sign a contract saying she would keep her teeth and braces clean and attend the appointments. I can't see them putting them in if he's against having them.

My other dd had private braces for £3000 to correct an overbite. It has made such a difference to the shape of her face.

DD 15 has had them since April, when they were fitted and the times they’ve been adjusted, she’s been told they will be uncomfortable but she really says it’s not bad. Braces are trendy apparently, especially the silver ones, the most painful part for me is having to pay as there is a 3/4 year wait, she could have had her pick, she choose the silver train tracks over white ceramics which I don’t quite get but there you go, she wanted the trendy option! Just having them fitted gave her more confidence, knowing her teeth are on the way to being straightened.

DS has had twin block braces to move his jaw and correct the overjet.

Now on fixed braces since September. It's already making a difference.

I'll not lie - he hated the twin block braces as he was difficult to understand but when we recently compared photos of before and after the twin blocks it was night and day.

DS went for the white ceramics - they are barely noticeable.

My dd is 12 and will be under the hospital for her orthodontics as she has teeth missing and teeth stuck in her palate. She needs surgery too. She’s not keen either but I’ve had similar surgeries and a brace and told her the story. She looks at her dfs teeth who’s an ex rugby player and that keeps her motivated to have the work done.

Thanks 😊 everyone.
I showed him all these encouraging posts, he seems a bit calmed down.
If it's on the Nhs, can he also choose different colours or bands etc?

I think he worries about that they if can became loose and he will choke on them or won't be able speak?

I’m not sure what to say. I feel that people on this thread are minimising how painful braces are, in order to reassure you. I had them recently as an adult and I was shocked by how extremely painful they were, how much they affected speech, how they regularly ripped open the skin on my inside cheek and lip. But yes I do wish I’d had them as a teen when it would have been a better result (and free). That said if mum had forced me to go through that pain, as opposed to choosing it myself as an adult, I would have been very upset with her, particularly as braces are mostly about trying to look more attractive.

Teenagers do have agency and sometimes they make bad choices. I wish I’d waited for marriage instead of sleeping with all those shitty men, I wish I’d stayed fit and thin instead of eating all that fatty food. I wish I’d gone to drama school instead of picking the sensible option. And I wish I’d bought those shares in Amazon when I considered it 20 years ago 😂 But those were my bad choices to make, I don’t think my parents should have made them for me.

If your DS is absolutely refusing then I’d be tempted to postpone it for a year or at least have several meetings with the orthodontist at which your son asks the questions, about what will happen to your son’s teeth if he refuses the treatment and what non-nhs options exist to make things more comfortable, will he need twin blocks, what exactly is the treatment plan etc. If after that he’s still saying no maybe pause for 6-12 months then have all this discussion again.

My braces didn't hurt much either, sore at first but nothing otc painkillers couldn't help and I could sleep through it. Everyone's different though and I never caught my cheek on the wire.

@Twentytoone

We are having the orthodontic consultation prior to the fitting, I requested this as DS was hoping he wouldn't need any or possible only on the top, however they phoned us and said he needs both but that's all they said, no more details yet.

I'm absolutely not minimising but when my DD had them she had very little pain - she didn't even need painkillers. And yes she could choose the colours on the NHS.

She didn't seem to have them on for long either. 18 months maybe?

I feel like back in the 90s when I had mine they were painful and on for years!

@Twentytoone
Also I don't want him go through any unnecessary painful treatment however they said he needs them, not for cosmetic reasons.

I never had braces myself but that is mostly as I was always scared of dentist and I almost never went when I was a child.
This resulted in every of my tooth has a fillings,various broken teeth and I already had 5 back teeth out as infected etc, I can only wish my mum would actually insisted on me going regularly to dentist.
DH has a perfect teeth, not a single filling at 46, he had braces as teen but also regularly visited dentist.

It's not just about looking attractive though. It's about future tooth, gum and jaw health. There's lots of things my teen would like to avoid but he needs to be made aware of the long term benefits and sometimes I just say 'look as the adult here I need to make this decision for you'. Having twin blocks now when he's growing is preferable to more radical treatment to his jaw later.

My parents couldn't afford fixed braces when I needed them and I've got dental issues as a result. I did get removable braces and I do remember the pain but it's for such a short while versus long-term dental health.