AIBU to think a brace for a 4yo is ridiculous!

[SquirrelNuts]

DS age 4 knocked his tooth out at nursery a while ago (still not sure what actually happened). I couldn't get him to see my dentist so we were seen by a new lady who appears to have referred my DS to an orthodontist, I received a letter today with an appointment to see if braces would benefit him? They can't be serious can they?

I know nothing about dental treatment but would have thought that on baby teeth they were a lot of effort (and money) for little long term benefit.

it's only to SEE IF - so nothing is certain, but as he may be some years without his adult teeth, they need to know in advance if the loss may affect how the others come through, whether they will align correctly. they are the experts, it will be free, go and see what they advise!

My son had a brace at 4. it wasnt one of those regular teeth straightening ones though. It was to try and fix the shape of his jaw. His front teeth actually crossed over each other ( just a bit but did overlap) . Id taken him to a pediatric dentist who told me he needed one of these for 2 years. It was cemented to his back teeth and went up over the roof of his mouth every 2 days I had to turn a "key" that was in the center and that pushed his jaw out a tiny tiny bit at a time. It cost over 3 grand too.

It did bugger all. When he was 12 I asked a regular dentist about braces for him and I was told they will do no good. His face needs smashed and rebuilt . His top and bottom jaws look like they are from different people,totally mismatched,its not his teeth afterall. Hes 19 now and not interested in fixing it as it really doesnt look bad

I had one with a tooth on it to keep things straight . I lost my baby front tooth by knocking it out and I was about 10 when the adult one came through. I felt self conscious without it.

It does seem odd, but I'm not a dentist. I do know that they can spot future problems early, so there may be something they can do now to prevent future problems. They're probably not going to give a 4 year old train tracks. I'd trust the experts tbh.

(Not to alarm you, but Alan Carr's teeth are apparently a result of knocking his front ones as a young child!)

I know my dentist wouldn't entertain that. Spoke to him recently about dds teeth and he sed wouldn't dream of it for years yet as her jaw still growing. She's 12.

my DD lost 2 front baby teeth when she was 3 in an accident. We were referred to the children's dental hospital in London. They checked it out but said its better to wait until the adult teeth come through and review then. So far 1 of the 2 teeth has come through and it looks fine so far. Definitely no mention of a brace.

Appointment isn't until February anyway maybe I should just take him It just seems strange to me but I'm not a dentist!

My concern is that I found having a brace excruciatingly painful at first, most people do. But at least at 13 I was able to understand why and that the pain wouldn't last.

A four year old wouldn't have that ability.

It's possibly a standard letter (hence reference to braces).

But some sort of (overnight?) retainer might be indicated here. If the baby teeth move because of the gap (which will be for far longer than normal) it could compromise the space left for the adult tooth to come through, thus causing problems with permament dentition.