Or is the orthodontist BU?

[loopyluna]

(Not in the UK...)

He has decided that my 12 year old needs all his remaining milk teeth extracting! He has quite a few back teeth that are starting to become wobbly and the orthodontist claims that it will be uncomfortable for DS to eat...
He has no other teeth issues having had his jaw misalignment fixed last year. Our dentist doesn't think he'll need a brace and thinks his teeth will fall out naturally as soon as he has a growth spurt.

The orthodontist (who spends about 45 seconds inspecting the DC's teeth before handing us a bill for hundreds of euros), totally dismissed the dentist's viewpoint and told me that after 12 years of university, he was better placed that a mere dentist to decide what was best DS!

What do you think? Personally I don't understand the hurry to extract teeth at 12 but am not an expert. I liike and respect our dentist and find the orthodontist extremely arrogant and unpleasant tbh.

I could get a second opinion from a different orthodontist but fear that this will cost another fortune! Mumsnet experts please?!

FWIW, none of my milk teeth fell out on their own. My teeth have ridiculously long roots so I had to have each one extracted as the others started to grown in. Safe to say, I'm not a fan of going to the dentist. We moved house and area when I was 11 and new dentist bluntly refused to extract my canines on the basis (and somehow ignoring my dental records) that my milk canines would fall out 'when they were ready to'. I spent the first year of secondary school with my adult canines growing through the gum above my milk canines (and with some interesting nicknames...) When we (finally) moved dentist he took them out PDQ but I ended up with a 2 year retainer-style bracer to re-align the adult canines.

That's not necessarily helpful to you

Maybe feedback to your dentist? See if he can explain the orthodontist's view? Failing that, take a deep breath and get a 3rd opinion?

The orthodontist is claiming that the wobbly back teeth need to be taken out because they will be uncomfortable to eat with?? Millions of children manage to eat with wobbly teeth without having to have them pulled out!

DS1 did have 4 milk teeth removed to speed up his orthodontic treatment but that seemed reasonable. Were you given any other reason other than "discomfort"?

If they are wobbly surely they will fall out on their own. This is something that nearly all children go through and they' survive.
Yes it's uncomfortable but it's not life threatening. With my DC when they got to the really wobbly stage it's surprising how easily they come away they are- to pull out with a little help from me
At that stage they have no roots as its all been reabsorbed and I would imagine that extraction prior to that stage will be expensive need anaesthetic and will be more painfull and leave a bigger socket.
From my ds experience of orthodontist he left extractions etc to the dentist and the only teeth he extracted were ones to created space and relieve overcrowding.

Has he x rayed the jaw to see what's happening to them ? Surely he should have a clinical reason to recommend extraction ?
I would give it 6 months and see what happens.

I'd go back and discuss it with the dentist

It sounds like your orthodontist may want to go down the givememoney 'he needs them out and a brace' route listen to your dentist don't go back to the orthodontist, one of mine did get milk teeth out because of over crowding at 12 but the dentist did recommend it,

Go to dentist.

I thought you only extracted milk teeth if they were decayed, damaged or the second teeth were pushing though, but not pushing them out.

My 14year old has only just lost his last milk tooth - which I think is on the late side - but everyone is different.
Surely there is no harm in waiting 6 months, or at least discussing it further with your dentist.

Get 2nd opinion from another orthodontist.
And 3rd opinion too, probably.
It's going to cost a fortune no matter what you do, so best to be sure you spent that fortune wisely.
You can't say if the adult teeth will be crooked until they are well in, so I'm not sure what the urgency is.

FWIW, DS Orthodontist insisted that DS needed an adult tooth extracted for almost 3 years. Dentist kept saying she couldn't do it except surgically (which she refused to do, thank goodness). Eventually the Orthodontist changed his mind & said "I'm really surprised" but now DS didn't need the adult tooth removed after all. DS had grown more than expected.

I suppose I should be glad that he admitted his mistake. That's the point, they can make mistakes.

BTW: DS is nearly 13 & has no baby teeth left at all. So having 12 baby teeth still at 12yo does seem a wee bit odd to me.

Find a nice Orthodontist (ask around) & I would talk thru what happens if you leave them to fall out in own time, how will the adult teeth be affected.

DS is small for his age and has been a hideously picky eater for the last 6 years or so. DH is 6ft and I'm 5ft 6 so he is likely to shoot up. The dentist has always maintained that milk teeth fall in accordance to growth. DS is 12 but the height and weight of an average 10 year old at most...

The dentist is sure he won't need a brace at all since he's had his jaw realignment treatment and the orthodontist definitely said it was because of eating discomfort. He was actually quite shirty that I questionned him!

Think I'll give it a few more months to see. DS certainly isn't complaining about any discomfort and he's not the shy, retiring type!

Ask to look at x-rays and compare them to 'normal' presentation of adult teeth. If they are causing problems, it should be obvious from the x-rays.