Twin Block braces - no thank you!

[jellybeanJ]

We were offered twin block braces earlier this year which we turned down (for now). I was completely unprepared for the appointment, had not been told what to expect and really quite annoyed at how the appointment went, with the dentist talking about breaking my 11 year old daughter’s jaw and highlighting ‘flaws’ in her appearance that she’d never thought of before.

I’ve since seen our own dentist who has explained the option will still be open and gave me more background on why it has been suggested (ie teeth touching palate). None of this was explained to me at the brace appointment.

Still, it feels an awful lot to put a child through for no real medical need. My child is starting secondary in September and it feels to be that confidence is critical at this key transitional stage in her life.

Just interested if anyone else has said ‘thanks but no thanks’ to this?

I don’t know what type of braces they are. But age 13 I was offered ‘train tracks’ and 4 teeth removed. My mum convinced me it was a bad idea as it was medically unnecessary, just cosmetic. 25 years on I really regret it as my teeth are horrible and I’m looking at very expensive private options.

My DD had twin block braces at 10. I was a bit at the questionnaire she was given at the orthodontist with options to tick along the lines of "my teeth stick out too much/I'm teased etc " when none had ever been an issue but she had an 8mm overbite.
She had them under the care of the local hospital , and whilst they were very uncomfortable and she avoided talking for the first few weeks, they did work extremely quickly and she only had to wear full time for 3 months. (She didn't need her jaw broken though)

She had them for a year in total, and then train tracks, then a retainer. But starting early meant she was finished with braces when she was 13. She still wears a retainer at night (she's nearly 19 now)

There’s solid health reasons beyond appearance. Having a misaligned jaw and overjet can lead to various airways issues, issues with clenching and grinding and problems with your bite surfaces down the track. Intervening now whilst her jaw is still growing can see off lots of issues in her 30s and 40s.

It must be pretty severe to be offered by the NHS so I’d be asking lots of questions.

I obviously don't know the details, but if she is being offered a device to bring her jaw forward and make it develop fully that is a medical need, not just cosmetic, for reasons described above.

If they’ve offered twin blocks there must be good medical reason. They make a huge difference, if my child was starting secondary school I’d have grab the chance to get them before the summer holidays. They’d have done a lot of good work and your DC would have got over a lot of the discomfort. My DS needed them and actually got them at the start of secondary, he stuck with it and was out of braces within two years just as all his friends were getting them fitted. It will be much harder for your DD the older she gets.

Mine both had twin blocks followed by fixed braces, they worked quickly and loads of their friends had them too, it is totally normal. I don't remember cosmetic aspects being mentioned so much as medical ones, maybe the orthodontist thinks that's an easier way to explain to youngsters, which I agree isn't great, neither of mine took much persuading when we explained how much harder and more expensive it would be if we left it till adulthood.

I have no idea what twin block braces are but my 11 year old is currently having orthodontic treatment for a misaligned jaw and narrow palate. The NHS waiting list was over 3 years long and so we went private because the last thing we want is our son going through that in the midst of secondary school when appearance is everything sadly.

Obviously there are health benefits to the procedures my son is having done but primarily it is about appearance. Bullying is so rife in secondary schools and a person cannot hide their teeth, so if bullies are looking for something to laugh at and a reason to tease someone, the teeth are an easy target.

My son has taken his current braces in his stride and we are nearly finished with Phase 1 of the treatment and moving onto Phase 2 in about 4 months. He is due to start secondary school this August as in very glad that by that time his jaw/teeth will look so much better (we have already seen a massive improvement), and also that he will only have to wear retainer braces at night, as opposed having to wear braces in the day like he does now.

I was offered orthodontic work done as a child but as it wasnt medically necessary my parents chose not to go ahead, and i have always resented it. I hate my teeth and they have massively affected my self esteem which is another reason why I was so adamant that I wanted my son to have the work done.

My advice OP is: get it done and the sooner the better.

They don’t offer orthodontic treatment without good reason. The thresholds for nhs treatment are quite high now. Better to have the procedures now than as an adult. Lots of kids have braces now, so they don’t particularly stand out.

2 of mine had this as well, there are medical reasons for this. Cosmetic work is not offered on the NHS. Shame the dentist didn't explain in better and you weren't able to ask the right questions for reassurance.

My son had twin block braces on the NHS. He had to get them fitted fairly young for them to work, but weren't on for long before his fixed braces were fitted. I was unsure about them to start as while his teeth were fairly straight, he his jaws were misaligned which would have caused issues later on in life. They made a huge difference and really cut down on the overall time needed for orthodontist work. If they're being offered, I would take them.

Block braces are horrible, but they work really well and very quickly. My child has beautiful teeth now and feels it was all worthwhile. I am sure it must be medically necessary rather than cosmetic if the orthodontist is doing this on the NHS.

My dd had them a little later than the norm because her baby teeth were very slow to come out/adult teeth grow. She was first referred to nhs orthodontics at 10 in covid, no joy so we went private at 12 and she got them fitted at 13.

I am not gonna lie, I was a bit upset when she first wore them. They seemed so big and uncomfortable for her. But I didn’t show it, she was a trooper and wore them for about a year. No teasing in school or anything (and yr 8/yr9 can be viscous).

shes 15 now and in her train tracks. She also has an undescended canine being coaxed out so she’s been through the mill a bit but her face has totally changed,she says it feels 1000 times better and she is so pleased she’s done it.

Why wouldn’t you?! Don’t saddle your kid with bad teeth! My Dd had them, she took them out a lot at school as she lisped a lot in them but they still worked after a few months and her jaw looks so much better. NHS said there would be issues etc in later life if she didn’t have them. If you’re offered them I can’t see a reason why you wouldn’t?! She looks brilliant now and her teeth are beautiful- when we look back at old photos you can see exactly why it was done.

My son had twin braces and an arch brace , we’ve waited 4 years and now at 17 he will have them for possibly another year, but so worth it, wasn’t impressed when he got them but now used to them and his teeth are starting to look amazing, the cost of the treatment outside of 18 is very expensive , I’d go ahead with it, or you’ll probably regret it as she grows up and hates her teeth or jaw.

My son had fixed twin blocks followed by braces and his teeth are a few months away from being perfect. No more overbite or gap in his teeth. He’s so pleased with the progress.

I absolutely agree that 11/12 year olds find changing school when going into year 7 daunting so don’t want to appear “different” but please don’t underestimate the number of youngsters who have braces. She’ll be far from the only one with braces in year 7 and she’ll find that pupils above her year group are also wearing braces so she’ll be in good company. Everyone seems to want perfectly straight teeth with no gaps (and super white!) and the younger she is the easier it will be for her. I’m not so sure about your orthodontist, he doesn’t seem to have much of a bedside manner, perhaps you could investigate other orthodontists?

Also on the appearance point, while I think it is not the right thing to emphasise in a consultation with a a child, it is the case that a more 'beautiful' jaw is a healthier jaw.

My Dd had block braces at age 11. She wasn’t keen and wouldn’t wear them to school, but luckily wearing them after school and overnight worked fine. She had a 10mm overbite which really needed correcting and this is what the block braces did. After that she had a fixed brace for 2 years and the result was beautiful, straight teeth with a normal overbite.

We found the nhs consultant orthodontist brusque(and she treated her team shockingly) especially at the initial appointment but those doing the treatment were lovely. She would not start treatment unless/until ds was committed to it and we delayed six months as a result which probably extended the period he needed them. Nhs do not fund it unless there is a clear functional need and the twin blocks realign the jaws so you get a good result. Otherwise it is jaw surgery later or expensive private orthodontics as an adult. If you do a search there is a long thread following his and others’ treatments.

My DD had twin blocks at the same age. About 25% of her school year had braces as well. Transformed her teeth, built her confidence. If it's being offered for non-cosmetic needs, you absolutely should go ahead.

I had one DC who had twin blocks. Was pretty full on but it did its job and was quick. Their teeth weren't perfect at the end though - should have had teeth out to create the right space and didn't. Second DC was offered the same treatment by the same orthodontist (and was similarly unkind about appearance) - given that the end result wasn't perfect first time round, we went elsewhere where the orthodontist said that it's possible to realign jaw and create space in other way. So second DC now has a different type of removeable appliance and will have teeth removed in a few months time which was preferable for that DC, not least because first orthodontist was so unpleasant!

I don’t know what block braces are but I know what it’s like to be too scared to get teeth out and braces at that age. I waited until i was 25. It cost a fortune. All because I was scared but ultimately had to get it done anyway.

I stopped wearing my retainer too soon a year and a half later but can’t get braces again as my back teeth (which braces are secured to) are now too heavily filled.

So my advice would be to go to a different orthodontist and see them with a view to getting whatever needs done now. I wouldn’t wait. It’s not like, say, a nose job to look better. It’s more like a nose job to breathe better. It’s medical not cosmetic. Lots of other teens will be wearing braces. She will thank you when she’s older. I wish my mum had supported me to get over my irrational fears and made me go.

I had to Google what these braces were thinking they were hideous the way you were talking. They are less visible than train tracks etc....... I was expecting one of those massive head braces or something.

I think you should go for it.

Me too! My DS has train tracks now and is doing really well a year in.
Do it OP, crap teeth are the bane of my life, I can't afford adult braces. You get more tooth decay with badly spaced teeth as they are harder to clean and impossible to floss if they too close together

I turned down orthodontics in my teens and then did it in my 40s.

(The payment thing is a bit of a red herring - if you meet the criteria you can get nhs treatment regardless of age. I was offered nhs treatment but paid for a nicer set.)

honestly I wish my parents had shown a bit more interest rather than leaving me to decide myself. Because as a teen I really couldn’t take the long view