Braces!!! It is driving me mad!

[froggies]

DS has braces fitted to his teeth. During the day he is supposed to wear elastics from top to bottom teeth. Overnight he is supposed to wear headgear.
I know he hates them, I understand they hurt, I know he doesn't want them anymore.....
EVERY day he is reminded about elastics and does't wear them. (nor does he wea them if I don't 'nag' him-his words)
EVERY night I end up waking him up to put the head gear on (wether I remind him at bed time or not)
Every time he has an appointment he tells me he is going to kill the orthodontist if he doesn't take them off.

I he would just wear the bloody stuff properly it would be done so much bloody quicker and then he would take them off!!!!!

Sorry. Have appointment tomorrow.... And have had standard rant from DS....
deep breath.....

Oh and apparently they are ruining his life........
Wine anyone ?

If I tell you it's just the same with DS' retainers (?) - removable braces, will that make you feel any better.

Am looking forward to next year when he gets his train tracks so he can't forget to put them back in

And as for wine, don't mind if I do please ignores fact that it is Monday lunchtime

Ah yes, I had that with the retainer too.
Ended asking the orthodontist to explain the importance of wearing them.... Which he did, telling DS that had he been wearing them properly he would have been looking at taking them off at Christmas, now he is looking at May.... He also discussed the lak of brushing with him wit out prompting from me. DS looked suitably boot faced, and has had elastics in all day.

Got home to a letter from school informing me that he is currently working 1-2 grades below his capabilities in all subjects (which I suspected as he does bugger all homework and I do check regularly) as he is in S4 (y11) this is obviously causing the school (and me) some concern.

I think today has been a lesson in consequences.

Red or White? :-)

just take him back and get the orthodontist to remove them, he obviously doesn't give a bugger about having a healthy set of teeth.

let him express his regrets at 24 and pay for his own treatment.

Oh dear. It is a hassle isn't it. Dd2 has had hers in since just before she was 11.

She's had a removable top one which we had to expand twice a week and now she has a top and bottom removable one which are pushing her bottom jaw forward.
She cried like a baby the first night she had the newest ones in.

The thing is though they do work and thats what I just keep drilling into dd. They said her top one would take on average about 12 mths of wearing, but dd wore it so well that it had done it's job in just under 9mths. Likewise with her new ones, she has had them in for only one month now but you can already see a real difference in her face shape.

Keep nagging, he will thank you for it one day.

It's a horrible dilemma - keep on nagging so they'll have great teeth and a healthy jaw as an adult, or give up and do what's Catsmamma says and let them deal with the consequences themselves.

DD1, now 13, has had assorted braces for the last 5 years and she's now getting fitted for this extreme piece of head gear to be worn 15 hours a day and attached via elastics. It's been a struggle the whole way and she hates the idea of this head gear thing. Yet the orthodontist has told us that 6 months with the thing will probably solve the problem for good, so I've done something I thought I would never sink to and promised her an I-Pod Touch if she wears the thing to the orthodontist's full satisfaction (but then a smaller birthday present to compensate). No idea if it will work but she's more motivated now than ever before to see it through.

Maybe I should record the temper tantrums and use them for blackmailing purposes when he is 24?
I think he has forgotten how much teasing he had about his teeth before the treatment started, and how chuffed he was initially to be starting it.
Also, it is one more thing to fight for control over...you can't make me.... And I can't, but if he is adult enough to decide he doesn't want to complete the treatment, he is adult enough to tell the orthodontist himself, and though he has threatened he hasn't actualy done it... So he has to live with it, and have me 'reminding' him!

Oh yes, I have promised dd2 £50 once she gets rid of all of the removable braces, and another £50 once she finishes treatment completely.

and I have been through it with all mine to some degree!

Ds1 extractions and suddenly growing meant his overcrowding eased itself
DD...similar to ds1
DS2 he is only just 14 but already we have had 12weeks with a retainer, (allday/night use) then 4 months with fixed at the top, his teeth were shocking! And now we are back in january (after more extractions for top and bottom in december) for fixed braces

Can you take pictures to show him how well it is working? We did when he had the first retainer and you really can see the teeth moving when you click through them.

My daughter is driving us bonkers with her lack of care over her braces. The number of times I know she hasn't brushed her teeth! She had a check up during half term, 2 of the brackets at the end had come off, none in stock. Dentist said that even if he did have them, he wouldn't be able to fit them as she hasn't been brushing, and this is causing them to come off sometimes.

Went back about a week later but I had told her that if they still couldn't be fitted she was going to pay us back the train fare!

She didn't brush them yesterday morning or this morning and blatantly lied to me when I asked her if she had. She wants to do a Christmas performance with school, very informal thing, but I told her yesterday if she doesn't brush her teeth she won't be doing it and after this morning she now has one more chance! I cannot understand how she goes out for the day without brushing her teeth!!

She also thinks she only needs to take her inhaler with her on the days she has PE and only takes the vitamin tablet and oil of evening primrose (major PMT!) when reminded. And she wants contact lenses! Not a chance!!

I hope your son sticks it out!

I had 2 dds with braces dd1 was great with them she had them from 11 to 16 really patient with the retainer then the train tracks , now on to dd2 her teeth werent as bad as dd1 she has a squint tooth , anyhoo dd2 had the retainer where she had to turn a screw everyfew days she didnt do that she didnt clean her teeth I was so embarassed going to the orthadontist it was relentless months where she shouldve been on her traintracks , but she wouldnt turn this bloody screw and i tried to do it but then she said eww i dont want to put them back in her mouth, so in the end i just gave up wrote to the orthadontist and canceled her appointments , i was so fed up , Its her teeth and if she wants them squint then tbh its really up to her , OP i hope your son sticks ot out if not take them out its his teeth , iyswim

froggies my daughter sounds exactly like your son

her ortho was an absolute dragon and even a bollocking from her never stoppped her slovely care of her teeth

She now has a removable retainer which she wears about 50 % of the time

But it does stop hurting after a while, apart from whne they get tightened

My DD (15) has just been signed off from the orthodontist after five years of gruelling treatments.

She knows she is lucky to have got it all on the NHS whilst she under 16.

I have had to nag - it has been bloody shit sometimes. Some of the procedures they endure do hurt, are uncomfortable, and look and feel odd. My DD has had many days crying her eyes out. I guess your son's equivalent is getting angry.

I just keep telling her how lovely her teeth are looking. Also Like Catsmamma says, does your son realise that he has only one shot at getting this work done well, on the NHS?