Advice please teen braces or visalign experience

[HaggisHhahaha]

Hello dd 15 had orthodontist assessment today

can have nhs upper/lower braces with upper molar removal needed

or Invisalign for 4K with roughly a new set every few weeks until corrected

husband says go for nhs and so does daughter

i had molars removed for crowding and basically I’m lopsided/asymmetrical (didn’t have braces) on one side of face and it’s flatter and has always bothered me

i don’t think dd understands how painful a molar extraction will be
So
braces-stuck with for duration of treatment (can’t refuse to wear because uncomfortable) but possible side effect

Invisalign- may refuse to wear as uncomfortable, but expensive, no damage done

would be grateful for any experience please

Braces. Save the thousands for college.

I would go for the NHS braces and save your money.
My son had them fitted 5 months ago and I thought he'd struggle but he's coped fine with them. Aches a bit when he has the wire changed every six weeks but wears off quickly. His teeth look better already.

Braces better than Invisalign at that age. And if it helps you feel any better about the cost, we have gone private for DD1’s teeth as she needed braces and the NHS waiting list was too long. We were offered the choice of braces or Invisalign, but steered towards braces. She’s got braces. It’s cost me £4k! So jump at free braces!

Also too tempting to remove the invisalign. Teens get to love their braces (they don't look good on crooked teeth, but once the teeth start to straighten, they are actually rather attractive). And so many people have them.
You're so lucky to have the choice of NHS at 15... still young enough for it to be the norm and you get to save £££££

Terrible flashback to when I had braces and kissed a boy with braces and our braces got tangled up. It was at a party and loads of people saw. I don’t think we spoke to each other ever again 😂

My own teenager has his first ortho appointment soon, I really hope he doesn’t need any teeth removed, is that quite common?

Like you I'd avoid tooth removal if at all possible. I had way too many removals at that age. I know they are more conservative now, but is it absolutely necessary?

This is worth a read: dentalartistry.co.nz/why-dental-artistry-doesnt-turn-to-extractions-to-treat-your-childs-overcrowded-mouth/

I had molars and impacted wisdom teeth removed under local anesthesia to make room for my teeth. I don't remember it hurting that badly. My kids all had teeth removed for similar reasons and it wasn't a big deal, they went back to school afterwards (with paracetamol and soft food obviously).

So definitely don't spend 4k to avoid the pain.

Invisalign is damaging to tooth tissue as without tooth removal the dentist will shave down teeth to create space to move the other teeth into. Fixed braces get a result quite quickly in teens and after a few weeks your dd will be used to it, initially it is uncomfortable. Also a higher chance of relapse with Invisalign, fixed braces give the dentist more scope to adjust until the aesthetics and bite are correct whereas you can be limited with Invisalign. If your dd has no issue with nhs braces I would definitely go down the fixed route.

We faced a similar dilemma two years ago when my son was 9. As per that article @TryingAgainAgainAgain posted, my dentist said similar and orthodontist said better to catch the issues at a younger age than remove the teeth in a few years time.
I spoke to my GP for his opinion and he felt my child was too young. We went ahead with the orthodontic treatment in 2022 and he finished last Sept and paid just under €4K.

My GP's son had surgery to remove some teeth due to overcrowding last month and the other twin is due his surgery soon, they're aged 14. Hope you reach a decision you're happy with.

My DD12 is half way through her treatment and has recently moved to “ train tracks” having had the removable variety for about 6 months. We were given the option of proceeding with the braces immediately or waiting a year and having to have extractions. Why anyone would choose that option I have no idea. So far the results have been impressive and we only had to wait a couple of months for our first appointment through the NHS.

The only thing I’ve ever heard about Invisalign was that there were effective while they were used but when the person stopped her teeth reverted back

Dd chose train tracks saying she’d rather we went on a family holiday than spend the money on Invisalign. Her teeth are beautiful now and she has an nhs funded Invisalign retainer to wear at night.

Really? Because many people can’t afford thousands of pounds and can wait for it to be free. Are you really that unaware to imply people are making bad choices because it’s different to the choice you made?

Forgot to add that my son needed them because of severe overcrowding and a couple of baby teeth hadn't erupted. On X-ray post treatment, all the baby teeth had erupted. Of course he's still growing so his jaw will change but for now, I'm relieved there's no need for extractions. He may or may not need further treatment as he grows.
I have put a pic of the start and the end of his treatment.

Dd & ds both have braces currently & almost finished treatment. Were told both would need teeth removed but after using blocks before braces this wasn't necessary for either.

My two teens both had fixed braces on the NHS. Each child had four teeth removed before the brace was fixed to make more space as they both have small mouths and big teeth.

Actually DS had more than that removed because his last few baby teeth refused to budge so he had those extracted. They were big and strong for baby teeth and the dentist had a job getting them out. They had impressively big roots, and the roots were fused together- very weird looking teeth! So he had those out then had to wait a bit for adult ones to come through, then had four adult teeth removed and then the braces. DD’s treatment was really straightforward, DS’s has been more long-winded and complicated because his mouth was so crowded. His lateral incisors came in directly behind the central incisors. He’s had his braces on for about 15 months now and has a further 8-12 months to go. He’ll be in Year 12 by the time they come off but his teeth are going to look great.

I am so SO grateful that they could both have their treatments on the NHS. They didn’t even spend long on the waiting list- the only delays were caused by having to wait for baby teeth to go/waiting for adult teeth to come through.

Hope your DC’s treatment goes well, whatever you choose.

@TeenLifeMum

oddly I just responded to a comment of yours on a different thread

I am talking about my daughters scenario where we were able to proceed with treatment now or wait a year which would involve extraction. Neither scenario involves us paying for treatment so why would I choose to wait and require her to have an extraction if I didn’t need to?

@Divebar2021 that’s interesting, or are you getting Invisalign on the nhs? Or are you not in the uk? The choice between the two for us was similar but £5k difference so we made the other choice to you, hence my offence at your comment.

Thank you so much everyone for your input!

I am just worried she won’t wear the Invisalign if uncomfortable as she’s head strong

have to decide by Tuesday!

@HaggisHhahaha what does she think and which does she prefer? My son Was 9 and was excited for the first couple of months after that he wasn’t, especially when he changed the aligners as they can be a bit sore when he put on a new one.
We explained the reasons, gave painkillers to help with the pain, reminded him sometimes and in all it wasn’t too bad. I would imagine your teen would be easier to deal with as they would understand the reasons behind getting orthodontic treatment.

Teeth removal is very common. I had to have 5 out due to over crowding. I have a small mouth. I would op for the proper braces. Its so worth it.

I'm in the last 6 weeks of Invisalign, and I'd never trust a teenager to wear them enough- you need to wear them 22 hours a day and that really is tough to meet. Plus you need to clean your teeth if you eat or drink anything but water

This is a complete no brainer for me, dd had two teeth out and braces.

Getting the teeth removed wasn't too bad, the dentist was very good and the teeth came out easily. Her teeth are now perfect after a couple of years of braces.

You would be mad to spend thousands on something you can get for free.

Definitely the NHS braces. Pretty much all of my DDs friends have them as does she so it shouldn't be anything to worry about in terms of standing out.

Invisalign will be taken out at night. Guaranteed. The treatment will be slower or less effective because of this. And bloody expensive.

I've had NHS braces when I was a teen...had to have 4 teeth out and fixed braces for nearly 2yrs....all good...My daughter had 1 tooth out and fixed braces for under 2yrs...now my son has had them in his 12yrs old and finds it very uncomfortable...luckily he didn't need any teeth out. Go for the NHS good luck