Braces on a 5 year old? HUH?

[Uglyducklingswan]

I just saw a 5 year old wearing braces on their teeth. This is bizarre.

YABU - maybe little kids can get braces going for extreme cases?
YANBU - this is insta-standards of perfection gone too far!

Do you know for sure they were 5?

Braces seem a bit pointless at that age seeing as they are just going to lose their baby teeth anyway…

Then again I have heard that some kids wear retainers because it is supposed to help their adult teeth grow in straight or something 🤷‍♀️

Try googling it. I just did. There are valid reasons.

All 3 of mine had them from about 6. Meant they didn't need fixed braces or extractions as teens 🤷🏻‍♀️

Maybe try to be a little less blinkered and judgemental.

My youngest had his first brace at 8, IIRC, just for a few months. It meant a much quicker, easier and less expensive orthodontic job when he was older.

Mine used mouth guards when they were young, meant that their bite was corrected and their palates expanded enough to fit all their teeth (which were very crowded beforehand). Not 5 though, once their adult teeth had come through.

Mine all had braces as teens, but one of them also had them at 9yo to correct a specific problem (relating to jaw alignment). Then he had a few years without them before getting the "normal" braces.

Mine had a brace at that age to prevent an adult tooth being pushed so far forward it became wobbly and was in danger of being lost.

Nothing to do with vanity, thank you very much.

Both my children had baby teeth braces. Both had substantial structural issues (albeit different ones) that needed immediate attention.

I will admit they were both a novelty and had extra attention in school with them having braces so early (both were self conscious so this wasn't ideal). My eldest was so little the stand up x-ray machine at the orthodontist was too high for her on the lowest setting so she needed a step stool!

The eldest went on to have extensive orthodontic treatment once all her adult teeth were through and is now out the other side.

Youngest (11) is still on annual review with the orthodontist to assess what intervention is next and when that might need to happen.

Nothing to do with instagram, everything to do with having teeth that function normally.

My brother and my cousin both had them aged 6-7. Their teeth were angled so that they could not close their mouths properly or chew normally. Both had braces again on adult teeth and now have a retainer for every night.

Please do not judge if you don't know the situation.

Teacher here who has seen lots of children 5+ get fitted with them. Many children have braces/ spacers as their palettes are too small for their tongues and it greatly affects their speech and language development which can have profound knock on effects if not dealt with. Sometimes it helps children who are mouth breathers, which again has profound effects on their oxygen consumption and processing abilities. Others need them as the adult teeth pushing through risk the mouth becoming deformed. All of these things would be a hell of a lot more traumatic to fix when they're older. The fact you think it's because of Instagram says more about you than the parents who have probably agonised and spent a fortune doing the best they can for their children, under medical advisement. Park your judgement.

In topsy and Tim to to the dentist, Josie Miller has braces when she is about 5 (I'm aware this is fiction!)

My 10 year old has had appointments with an orthodontist since before he was born (which was quite weird!) So if an unborn baby can have an orthodontist then I'm sure a 5 year old can have braces for medical reasons.