has anyone decided not to take up orthodontic treatment?

[countrylady]

Our 13-year-old ds saw an orthodontist last week who advised 2 premolar extractions, followed by braces for about 18months, then wearing a plate, because of over-crowding...
We said we'll think about it over the next few days. Has anyone decided not to go ahead with all this? It sounds pretty drastic to me. The orthodontist said it would just be for cosmetic reasons, not health. We're just so unsure what to do. Help, please!

I was 14 when I started my orthodontic treatment.

It involved having 4 teeth removed, then almost 3 years worth of wearing "track" braces (fixed) and plates.

At the time, I was gutted about having the treatment and at times it was painful BUT when I look back at pictures before treatment I am so relieved my parents referred me for treatment.

Nowadays, it almost seems "trendy" to wear braces, my friend's daughter has perfect, beautiful teeth yet she feels like she's missing out on brace wearing!

18 months isn't a long time really and I'll bet your son will thank you for it in years to come.

And don't forget, if he is suffering from over-crowding now, it will get a lot worse when his wisdom teeth come through and that may bring a whole set of problems in itself.

Fortunately because I had 4 teeth removed anyway, my wisdom teeth came through without many problems - they did keep a careful eye on one as they thought it was going to become impacted.

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i had orthodontic treatment at 16. i had 4 teeth out before having fixed braces fitted. my teeth, altho not perfect are a lot better than b4. I had beenv referred for treatment at the age of 12, it took 4years before i actually got the treatment needed. i was very aware of my crooked teeth and how i hated them. afterwards i couldnt stop smiling, to have a set of almost perfect tetth boosted my self esteem a lot. was also done purely for cosmetic reasons, and yes swometimes it was painful after having the wires tightened/replaced, but well worth it.

what does your ds think about it?

And in any case "cosmetic" isn't purely cosmetic - crooked crowded teeth are harder to keep clean and when the wisdoms come through they'll be worse.

Is this NHS or private? Was it your own idea to see the orthodontist or the dentist's?

personally I think cosmetic reasons are extremely important, it can make the difference between a happy confident child and a resentful one. Teeth are a really major thing ...they are one of the first things people notice about someone.
Having said all of that, why don't you get a second opinion just to put your mind at rest. It may be that he needs some but not all of the work. When I was young (in the usa) the orthodontist recommended braces for me to close up the gap between my two front teeth. As there didn't seem to be any other purpose to them (no overcrowding etc.), my mother chose not to have it done as she thought that a gap between your front teeth was attractive. I think she made the right decision.

I also agree - cosmetic reasons are very valid, especially when it comes to teeth. Your ds is still so young that he'll hopefully be done with it all by the time he starts being seriously interested in girls. I had the same dental work and whilst it's not terribly pleasant (I had the misfortune of having 'bridle-type' braces that you only see in teen comedies nowadays) I am so glad I had it done. Crooked teeth are terribly noticable.

Thank you all for the messages. Ds and I have read them together. It was our dentist who recommended ds to see the orthodontist and all the treatment would be on the NHS. So that's one less worry. We don't have to rush to decide. It's his canine teeth that are growing out of the gums, due to over-crowding. The actual front teeth are fine and normal-looking. In general, I'm always worried about taking out healthy parts of one's body when you're not ill or likely to be ill. But we'll carry on thinking, as it's not urgent.

As a former brace-wearer, who had sticky out teeth which were perfectly healthy I think it's totally worth it. My old teeth would have blighted my life.

I have canines higher than the rest of my teeth from not wearing my brace properly (was a plate not a track!) and would love to have a brace fitted again to fix them - they are a bugger to clean as the gaps behind them are different (not running in a perfect curve) and I think good teeth are sooo important to ones self esteem!!

I wish I could post pictures of my DDs, before and after - of DD2 in particular, as she had canines like that - the difference is amazing. Have you been shown any examples?

The waiting list for NHS orthodontic treatment is pretty long here; if it's the same there it would be a good idea to get his name on the list now - if you decide against when his turn comes round you won't have lost anything.

Many thanks for helpful replies. No, Janh, we were not shown any examples. In fact, I found the whole business rather rushed. The surgery seemed like a production-line. I found it a bit disconcerting that children were having treatment in one communal room. There was no privacy for treatment or consultations. Is that normal, I wonder? Yes, we might seek a second opinion, now we've thought a bit more about it. Good idea to put ds name on the waiting-list though.