to think toddler needs orthodontist?

[furious27]

I have a really narrow upper palete - I never had any othodontic work done as a child and hate my teeth/smile as a result.

Anyway I have noticed my 2 year old has the same. I mentioned it to the dentist who agreed there was an issue but said he would not be refered to dorthodontist till he was 12ish.

But I think surely it is better to see a specialist soon - i.e while he is growing. Dont mind paying for private consultation.
Just wondering if it sounds unreasonable or if my reasoning makes sense?

Thanks. I'm hoping that he won't need too much extra done to his teeth but it won't really be possible to know until his adult teeth are through.

Furious, I would get an opinion this year and keep monitoring the situation. Hopefully his problem won't need early treatment but if its being monitored you can be reassured.

Hi, my daughter is 11. When she was 9 she had a removable brace to correct an underbite which worked quite quickly.
She has just had an expander brace as she too has a narrow upper jaw. She has had to wait until all four adult molars are through, they cannot work with baby teeth.

In 8 weeks time she is going back to have her 'tracks' on just for a bit of mild straightening, but we've been told the expander will do most of the work and the rest of her teeth should drop down correctly after this.
She's been seen regularly by the orthodontic surgeon since she was 8 and he considers the work they are doing right now 'early' - they don't usually start until age 12.

To be honest, although my daughter is coping well, is hasn't been easy for her, she's struggled to eat and swallow and has had mouth ulcers and tongue soreness not to mention an aching jaw while the expander does it's job. I wouldn't have liked her to have to cope with this any younger.

Our dd (9 tomorrow) has seen an orthodontist about her teeth. They are really crowded and crooked. He was reluctant to start any work in case he twisted the roots of her incisors. I was very glad (and surprised). it's an arm and a leg in Switzerland. She will have another appt next year once she's lost some more teeth.

Thanks for all the info - I find it difficult to breathe through my nose and never linked it to my palette - seems so obvious now.

You can have expansion work done as an adult btw!

I know looked into it - very expensive and long process

OK - question from an adult with overcrowded teeth who wore removable braces for nearly 3 years as a teenager and had 4 teeth removed. What is the relationship between having a narrow palatte and an inability to breath through the nose? Can you point me in the direction of some enlightening articles research? Am intrigued!

My daughter has a brace, had to wait until 12 until the dentist thought it was worth referring her. It's quite uncomfortable and they have to be of an age when they want to have a brace and will look after it and clean it properly. You wouldn't put a brace on baby teeth or teeth that have just popped up. 10-14 is more usual age to start orthodentic work.

narrow palatte means the roof of your mouth tends to be high which pushes the adenoids up and narrows your nasal passages.

Orthotropics info here

www.orthotropics.com/

not sure I can find anything on the mechanics of how expansion works but it is a recognised consequence of having the upper jaw widened that the roof drops.

Thanks CarGirl will look at that link.