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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

removal of teeth before braces are fitted

23 replies

mumma24 · 06/12/2018 07:28

Anyone had experience of their child having teeth removed before a brace is fitted. This is what has been for my daughter and worries how it will effect her confidence in school.

OP posts:

Original poster

mumma24 · 06/12/2018 07:29

Recommended!

OP posts:

dementedpixie · 06/12/2018 07:31

Yes my dd had 2 top teeth removed for her braces. She coped very well with it and now the braces are closing the gaps

Spam88 · 06/12/2018 07:32

It's pretty standard I think? I didn't have a brace in the end but was recommended to have four teeth removed. Are they not ones from the back anyway? Most kids have a brace and teeth removed so they're all in the same boat, and it'll be worth it when she can smile with confidence for the rest of her life :)

Howtodeal · 06/12/2018 07:33

I had 4 removed for this reason, I just didn't have enough room for all my teeth! Bit gappy at the sides for a while but no teasing and the braces did their job of moving everything into the right place and I ended up with lovely even teeth.

LooksBetterWithAFilter · 06/12/2018 07:34

I think it’s pretty standard. Everyone I know including me and dd has teeth removed for braces. The often try and do it relatively close to getting the braces fitted to try and avoid too much movement in the teeth once the extractions have been done.
It won’t be front teeth so they won’t be obvious at school anyway but most of the other kids that have braces will have had the same thing.

MacarenaFerreiro · 06/12/2018 07:35

It's very common. Usually they remove teeth further back in the mouth so it's not immediately obvious. So many teens will have braces that she's unlikely to get any comments at all. In my experience having had two children with braces the worst bit is the removable plastic blocks, if they need them. Those really do affect your speech and are very uncomfortable.

dementedpixie · 06/12/2018 07:36

I didn't need teeth removing as I have lots of space in my mouth. It was a tooth each side at the top that dd got removed. She still has tracks on top and bottom (age 15)

ShannonRockallMalin · 06/12/2018 07:36

My DS is 14 and has been wearing a brace for about 18 months. He had four teeth removed before the brace was fitted because they were so squashed in and he has a tiny head! He has about six months or so left with the brace and his teeth look amazing, the gaps where the teeth were removed closed up really quickly.

We requested to have the removal done at the hospital dentist as they can use sedation, which really helped my DS but tbh the removal was so quick! I would reassure your DD that my son was never once teased, loads of his friends have braces as well so they just support each other which is quite sweet.

dementedpixie · 06/12/2018 07:38

Dds tooth removal was done at her normal dentist. The orthodontist gave a letter to say which were to be removed.

Roomba · 06/12/2018 07:45

It was 25 years ago, but I had teeth removed before braces. I had a top molar at each side removed to make way for my vampire fangs to move down.

It didn't affect my confidence as the teeth were at the back so the gap wasn't really visible. Plus my other teeth moved in to fill the gap very quickly. The braces themselves did affect me a bit, but it was uncommon for kids in my school to have braces put on,especially at age 16 (it was put off too long, I would have been happier if I'd been just a couple of years younger. As it was they weren't taken off until I was 18.5 which made me look ridiculously young in the pub!).

I have to say, despite never being given a retainer afterwards, my teeth are still very straight and nice 25 years later. Well worth it!

PeachSchnapps · 06/12/2018 07:46

Ask the orthodontist if they can widen the dental arch rather than remove teeth.

Removing teeth can leave you with problems later on and sometimes they can sort it out with other methods (palate expansion)

Removing teeth is a cheap fix, IMO

Namechanger55555 · 06/12/2018 07:51

I had two teeth removed.
I have really straight nice teeth. However I have a really narrow arch now. When I smile you can only see my front 6 teeth. I feel it makes me look a bit vampirey

If they can widen the arch, that could be a better solution.

cakesandphotos · 06/12/2018 07:56

I had 7 teeth removed, including on from in the roof of my mouth. Then I had braces for a year. Many teenagers have braces now. I was late and didn’t get mine until I was 16. I didn’t love them but my confidence shot up when they were removed and I had lovely straight teeth

Sundance2741 · 06/12/2018 20:45

My 13 yo recently had 4 removed (one from each quadrant ) - is soon to have her brace fitted. I was slightly shocked but her teeth are very crowded - some totally out of line - so it makes sense.

She had it done in two sessions at our usual dentist. She's pretty stoic though - just squeezed my hand tightly throughout. It doesn't take long.

blackeyes72 · 07/12/2018 20:15

My eldest dd had 2 teeth removed.. However with ds we had a different practice and they told us this isn't great practice and that it should be used as an extreme measure, especially for boys as their arches stretch with puberty /maturity.

So the plan with ds is to go for a few months without removing and if it isn't working well he will have 3 removed...

EtVoilaBrexit · 07/12/2018 20:18

Yes same with dc1. Not an issue at all with his friends etc... Pretty standard too so they won’t bat an eyelid at that.

Dc2 has a massive issue with having some teeth taken out so they are trying to do wo. That means MONTHS of wearing the brace to do the job the extraction would have done.

autumnboys · 07/12/2018 20:18

I had two back teeth removed before my brace was fitted. The actual extraction was my first general anaesthetic and I was very weepy afterwards, which over subsequent years has turned out to be par for course for me after a GA. my sister had hers put at the same time and was right as rain and we both healed up fine. Good luck.

autumnboys · 07/12/2018 20:24

Ds2 is currently wearing a palate expander. It’s going well and we think his front teeth are actually straightening a little.

olivo · 07/12/2018 20:28

I think it depends how early they are seen. My DD was given a palate expander aged 9, now she is getting her fixed braces, it means no removal.

CantWaitToRetire · 07/12/2018 20:29

I agree with @PeachSchnapps, tooth removal is the quick fix. My daughter had bad overbite and overcrowding but went to the hospital orthodontist and they have realigned her jaw with one type of brace, then they fitted another which widened the dental arch and straightened the teeth. I would ask if it was completely necessary or whether the dental arch could be reshaped to allow the teeth to be realigned without removal.

Ohyesiam · 07/12/2018 20:30

The teeth are crooked because of over crowding, so some gaps are made sand the remaining teeth are evened out.

cariadlet · 07/12/2018 21:39

dd had 4 teeth removed before having her brace fitted (early teens). Her regular dentist was going to do it, but she freaked out when the dentist was about to give an injection in her mouth so went to dental hospital instead and was sedated for it.

Having the teeth removed didn't affect her confidence at all and her teeth look lovely now.

Lara53 · 09/12/2018 14:50

My Ds got braces at 15. He didn’t need any teeth to be removed

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