Braces

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DS (13) was referred to orthodontist with an overbite. After impressions being taken and permission given by local NHS trust he was made a set of braces (twin block I think they are called). They are quite big and designed to move the bottom jaw forward a little. This process will take around 6 months apparently - longer if he takes them out at all. After this he needs a few teeth 'tweaked' with a 'train track' type brace and we're done.

Problem is D.S hates them. Dentist says he can ease into them by wearing before/after school and at night then work up to wearing them in school too by Christmas. She also says he can remove them to eat as that is prooving quite difficult just now. Orthodontist says he must wear them all the time. Dentist thinks NHS would only approve treatment if it was necessary and that we should persevere with DS even if he doesn't like them. DH has just spoken to orthodontist who has explained that DS's braces are for cosmetic purposes only.

Knowing what orthodontics costs when you go private (as DH would have to as an adult) should we try to keep him going with this cosmetic inconvenience or give him the option of dropping the brace now?

Personally, I would give him the option of dropping it. We had similar with DS - dentist didn't like the way some of his teeth were coming in and referred us to orthodontist. Orthodontist checked it all out, and said he'd need teeth out and braces if he wanted them straight, but that it was not something medically needed, just cosmetic, so up to him/us to decide.

DS didn't want to do it, and is not bothered about having a "fang", so we declined.

To my way of thinking, its his mouth and his teeth and if he doesn't want to do it, that was his shout. Different if it was medically necessary, I'd have seriously considered over-riding him for that. But cosmetic shouldn't be compulsory.

My dd has recently had a fixed brace fitted which she will have to wear for 18 months to 2 years and then wear a retainer for another 18 months. She was keen to have her teeth fixed but so was I. A friend of mine had bad teeth and nothing was done about it when he was younger. After university he got a job that involved meeting lots of people and he became very self-conscious of his teeth. It cost him an absolute fortune to have them fixed but they look great now and he is much more confident.
I think that ultimately it is up to him whether he keeps the brace but it is only for 6 months and I wonder if he would regret not doing it when he is older.

ds hated his braces - but loves his teeth now - he's much less self-conscious generally - it was definitely worth keeping him going with them

much better to have the treatment now than later when exams are coming up and/or there's a girl in the picture

I would persuade him to keep them

We had this with DD - definately worth sticking at ... she had the big twin block thing too and it was hard to beginwith, but she's now coming to end of the traintrack period and her teeth look so much better...

As someone who had mixed success as a child myself and now has pretty naff teeth, I think it is important to stick at it.

Going private won't change the treatment!

important to stick with it I think and appreciate that you've been given the NHS funding

I'd have loved to get DD's teeth sorted on the NHS but as they are borderline and kids with 'worse' teeth had already been funded in that financial year we didn't quality for NHS treatment and privately it would have cost thousands that we just don't have

My DD had the same type of braces. She found them very difficult at first but stuck with them. The difference in her teeth now is absolutely incredible. She has beautiful, straight teeth which look the right size for her mouth - previously her teeth looked too large as they protruded quite noticeably. It only took 6 - 9 months for her teeth to look so much better.

I took her to the orthodontist a few months ago and she said she now only has to wear the top brace. In a few months, if all continues to go well, she will only have to wear this brace at night.

Tell your DS to stick with them. Worn properly and for the correct amount of time they can make a dramatic difference. They have done wonders for my DD's self-confidence. She's all smiles now

That's a big help everyone thanks.

DS2 had an under bite and was given retainers on the NHS when he was 9. These were hardly visible from the outside - no tracks, but bulky and uncomfortable in his mouth.

He utterly despised them.
He was supposed to wear them all the time, even for eating. They affected his speech at first but that got easier.

I compromised with him and he was allowed to remove them to eat and sleep.
I also bribed him regularly.

In the end he had the plate for about 18 months and without a doubt his teeth look much better. He could still have a little straightening but it's not essential.
Although I would say the problem was only ever cosmetic, the orthodontist did say that as he matured his jaw would broaden and the problem would become more obvious.

my dd would love to be in your ds's position.

she has teeth that are all overlapping and 2 'vampire fangs' - really bad

she was on a 6 month waiting list at our dentist, then a 6 month waiting list with a dentist across town, then a 6 month waiting list for the hospital dentist, now a 11/2 year waiting list for clinic.

In all that time she has 1 set of xrays done.

they all say she needs the work then 'pass the buck' (no pun intended)

she's really down about it.

Tell your DS to go for it, he's very lucky to be offered treatment on the NHS. Think the 'age of austerity' will mean there will be further cut backs in this area soon.

I knew my DS was likely to need orthodontic treatment as I needed so much done as a child / teen. So dentist referred to an NHS orthodontist early and he received regular 'watching' appointments. They then chucked him off the NHS list and then wanted £3000 for the treatment, which he hasn't had done yet.

Really sad that such a relatively wealthy country like ours denies children and young people dental treatment.

I agree with others that say try and encourage him to stick with them. My parents didn't bother getting my teeth straightened when I was young and I suffered years of embarassment until I got them done as an adult. It is much harder to move adult teeth and more likely that they will migrate back to their original position so although they are straight now, I wish they had been done when I was a teen.

My ds had crooked teeth too and I was determined he wouldn't suffer like I had and he has had a fixed brace. Although it was recommended that he have 2 teeth removed, my dentist agreed to do the treatment with them still in place and it has worked a treat. He only had the brace for a year ( including some repositioning with elastic bands which was a bit of a faff ) and his teeth are wonderful now. He is much more confident and smiley and I am so pleased we did it. Even though he was fairly ambivalent to start with, now he has seen the results he is really pleased he stuck with it.

So glad to have found this thread! Fristly, I would say stick with the braces...my middle d refused to use them and regrets it now so much she has made enquiries aboutgetting them (but wd have to pay now)

My youngest has the blocks and has been really good with them at first, altho won't eat with them in, but I think has not been wearing them lately (can't see if wearing them at school and to be honest at the moment I feel it's anything to get one over me) We went to dentist yesterday and because he didn't say, "I can tell you haven't been wearing them" ,but just, "Come back in 3 months" this morning she was about to set off for school without them in. When I asked why she rapped back at me"Well, I've seen the orthodentist now and he didn't tell me off so I'm not going to bother as much" When i tried to tell her that every time she didn't wear the blocks her mouth would be altering back she turned her back on me and walked off into another room (and Yes, I DO hate her at times..unatural? Perhaps but she can be a COW..totally unlike my elder two)

Do I let her get away with not wearing the blocks? Did tell her I might as well cancel the next appointment then and give up if she not wearing the blocks, someone else cd benefit from the National health fund for braces and I wouldn't be wasting my and his time taking her to the orthodentist.

DD is going to be having the same treatment as in the OP (if we can get beyond the impressions bit, not a good start). We had to go to a workshop before starting treatment. They impressed on them a couple of things. Firstly how very lucky they are to be having this done on the NHS. Secondly, to correct an overbite with a functional appliance, there is a one time only chance ie. During puberty. If that window of opportunity passes, the only way is by surgery.

My poor DD has the straightest teeth you have ever seen. "She won't need braces," claimed the dentist. "Oh hang on a mo where is her last canine tooth? Oh look there it is lodged in her palette..."

So a year of a plate brace to move her teeth out of the way so there is room to bring the canine down. Then an operation to attach a chain and bracket to the tooth.(Where they cut her gum and the roof of her mouth -ouchie!)

And now she is embarking on a fixed brace to pull the tooth down in to place and then a potential top and bottom fixed brace to put all her teeth back into the right position.

The whole treatment when it is finished will have taken three years.

She could have just put up with the baby tooth till she was about 40 and had a false one but she was insistent that she wanted it done.

I think it will be worth it in the end but what a palaver for one tooth!

I think it's woth perservering with the braces for your DS- he will be glad you nagged him when he is older. I have friends who as adults have had to pay for braces and the older you are the longer and more painful the treatment is.

Our dentist has told us for the last couple of years DS will need a brace for underbite....I'e heard they are making cut backs regarding the seerity of the over/underbite which will be treated on the NHS.

DH and I had always said unless DS wanted a brace he wouldn't ahve it as his eye was patched for 2 years, which was a major polava, and he wears quite thick glasses.

However, seeing the difference patching and his glasses make, I will be strongly encouraging him to have a brace.

I think that workshop idea is a really good one...all orthodentists ought to do that cos teenagers won't listen to parents, god forbid what do we know?!

dd is coming to the end of 2.5 years of braces, she had the blocks for around 9 months to correct her bite, they were utterly hideous and she coudn;t eat with them in, but she did keep them in full time, we had a "burning of the braces" party for her when that part of her treatment was done, sort of like a viking funeral pyre, was great fun for all her friends - perhaps organise/plan something like this will help pass the time/endurance if there is something else to look forward to at the end. good luck with it all.

I have cleft lip/palette and had braces when I was 11 - had them taken off when I was 22, quite a few operations and such later and love my teeth

I moaned about having braces when I was in my teens but would defo not want to have my old teeth back!

Tell him to persevere with it, it will be worth it!