First orthodontic appointment for ds (14) accompanied by his dentophobe mum - what to expect?

[Fauve]

Ds has been v slow to lose his baby teeth, so that's why his dentist has only recommended seeing an orthodontist now.

Apparently he's only likely to need braces for about a year; nothing serious is going wrong.

Will the first appointment be a kind of assessment? I REALLY don't want him to have any X rays on this first appointment, since I may want to get a 2nd opinion from another orthodontist and generally research options before committing to a course of treatment.

Any advice please? I'm shaking in my shoes here - teeth & dentists really make me feel weird, but obviously I've got to get a grip for ds' sake.

I am about to have my train tracks taken off and my 12 year old DS has had his about a year

First appointment iirc will be xrays and maybe a moulding of his teeth

are you paying or NHS?

I am private but DS is NHS

he may have a removable one if he doesn't have a bad prob

DS had a removable one with headgear before his traintracks

Thanks RTKM. I think we'll end up paying because I doubt if what he needs is anything other than cosmetic.

Are there any useful websites about orthodontics?

What headgear do you get, then?

it was a blue strap thingy that goes over your head with straps that clip onto the hook on the brace

DS wore it in bed

And then the rest of the time he wore the brace

ie to school etc

Has he been referred to an orthodontist at an NHS hospital? If yes, then the first appointment will just be an assessment of what needs done and it is normal to take xrays at this stage. The orthodontist could then suggest waiting for teeth to fully come in before starting any treatment - depends on the problem really. They may say they are unable to do treatment on NHS (there are strict guidelines and I'm sure they are getting tighter to save money). If treatment can be done he would then be put on the waiting list and depending on length of list and urgency of treatment he will be called back. Then he would probably have to attend an hour long talk on care of teeth and diet whilst having treatment before it eventually begins.

I think xrays in the early stages are crucial btw.

My dd (12) has just had a pre-brace retainer fitted.

Her first appointment involved an X ray and biting down on a piece of polystyrene, and a quick look form the orthodentist.

The second was when the moulds got made around her teeth (uncomfortable but not awful) and the third was the fitting which was in and out in 5 minutes!

"Then he would probably have to attend an hour long talk on care of teeth and diet whilst having treatment before it eventually begins." this didn't happen to DS or me btw

It wasn't at an NHS hospital where we go

it is a private orothodontist that does NHS stuff too

Yes DS did have to wait for his teeth to come out properly {grow etc}

RTkanga - as far as I know this is normal practise for NHS orthodontic department in hospitals where they are treating lots of patients at once - different if you are attending one individual practioner. I thought it was a good idea and it does let teenagers back out at an early stage of their treatment if they are unwilling to take care of the braces. DD is likely to need train tracks for 2 years.

Thanks. I know X rays will be needed at some stage, but I'd rather they were later than sooner.

No, not an orthodontist at an NHS hospital, just a practice we've been recommended locally.

Am I right that treatment will need to wait till he's got all his adult teeth through? (I think that's what you're saying, RTKM.)

I think X rays are a matter of course at a first appointment?

this is the thingy that looks like the thingy DS had last year

and this is the headgear strap thingy

It isn't exactly the sqme as the studff ds wore but sort of the same idea

Well, that's what I'm concerned about. I want to say to the orthodontist that I'd rather have an assessment first, then I can think about how we want to precede. Eg, if he decided he couldn't be arsed with braces, it would be crap to have had X rays for nothing. But I'm worried that the orthodontist will be difficult about me not wanting X rays.

We have really a lot of cancer in the family so that's why I'm not keen to expose him to more X rays than are strictly necessary.

yes DS had to wait till all his adult teeth were there beforehand

he also had 1 taken out under sedation

I agree it is good idea to tell them about looking after the teeth etc and the orthord tells him about it and making sure to use disclosing tablets to check up on cleaning etc

They look very clever, RTKM. It's all very sophisticated these days, isn't it?

yes heaps beeter than when I had removable brace when I was teenager

Hence why I am having train tracks now

The difference is amazing

IMHO and IME xrays are vital cos a canine tooth was discovered in my top jaw that I thought I had had removeed when I was a teenager

and so i had to have it removed before treatment would work

no one had even seen it before or noticed it still there

First ortho appointment usually a chat - eg mine couldnt start work on DD until she stopped thumbsucking etc. Also to dicuss/eliminate any practical issues. (5-10 mins)

Second appointment is X rays - sorry they are absolutely essential. X rays dont cause cancer, the radiation does is very, very small indeed. Also the ortho photographs the mouth (you may get a souvenir pic)and takes measurements. The worst thing of all is the mould - only 1 minute but ugh ugh ugh. (20 mins)

Dreadful overbite corrected by removable bits of wire and plastic. (There I was fearing major survery for dd)Well worth it!

Oh, thanks, PV. 2nd appointment would be fine for X rays - I know they are necessary, I just don't want to get caught up in having loads of them because of changing to a different practice or whatever.