Too young for braces?

[Anxiousmumtoone]

Hi
my daughter is getting nhs braces this summer for the start of year 6. (11 in November). I’m worried this is too young as no one has them yet. She already has issues with being socially accepted (autism) and I’m worried this is going to make it worse. The alternative is to get a re referral and wait another couple of years…but part of me thinks it’s best to just start the braces asap. what would you do?!

I’d start with them, others will soon follow.

Start now. It'll be good to get it over with before GCSEs .

My autistic daughter started her braces treatment in year 5. She's handled it well although she has a very low tolerance for pain and finds the days we go to the orthodontist quite overwhelming so she usually doesn't go back to school after the appointment and sometimes the next day (she's year 7 now). It's not just the braces, it's things like the scans and having the dental moulds made that can be tough, so be prepared.

Much better to start earlier as hopefully she'll be coming out of braces as lots of her peers are just starting - that's the angle I took, trying to make it sound like a really positive step. Plus it helped that she was starting to feel a little self conscious about her teeth anyway so it was good to be doing something about it.
Good luck!

My daughter was 10, hers are now off at 12 and everyone is just starting to get theirs.

Thanks. Maybe we should just go for it..she’s had all her adult teeth through for a while now!
how did she feel when everyone else was starting to get there’s?
I’ve also heard you have to wear a retainer for longer when younger?

I'd start them.
Better to get them done and out of the way rather than still have them in college. Others may well also get them in yr6 and if not she will be in secondary in a year where tons of kids will have them.

May not happen for you but when my daughters friend got them in year 6, the other girls were jealous because they were a 'grown up' 'teen' thing. My daughter really wanted the coloured bands that go eound the brackets, especially when friend got pink ones.

She's quite smug about it tbh which I don't blame her for.

Sheh had to wear the clear retainers 24/7 for 10 weeks and I couldn't see them. Now it's just overnight.

I'd just do it, my DD was self conscious for first few weeks but then started getting brave with the colour choices which most folk found pretty cool. She just needs to have that bit of confidence to own it.

Hi, due to Covid we had to pay privately as my daughters teeth really needed sorting and the wait was up to 4 years.. she was 14 when they went on and came off at nearly 16.
I wished that I had pushed much harder when she was in Year 5 and 6 as the trouble she had which affected her self esteem from having wonky teeth has gone with her and is much harder to reverse.

Everyone at high school has braces, in my daughter’s school ( state) it was a bit of a fashion statement and everyone supported each other. They all want nice teeth so I really think it won’t be an issue- I only wish I had done what you are..

Hope this helps!

Oh sorry just to say she has to wear night time retainers for ever, that’s just part of it. But only at ho
e and at night!