Braces

[Rupyx]

Hi, my 14 year old has been recommended braces. She been seen by orthodontist and now has to decide whether to go ahead. She says she wants but I'm not sure how she will cope really, firstly 4 teeth need to extracted which is alot of teeth! If anyone can share experiences of their teenagers getting braces and teeth extraction...thankyou

Tightening really isn’t that painful other than maybe being a bit sensitive for eating for a day or so but I just stuck to soft foods. I would avoid dropping appointments as it would really just stretch out the length of the treatment.

Why would you not do it?!!

Definitely go for it, to get braces as an adult is thousands of pounds.

My dd is autistic with significant sensory issues but still managed with top and bottom braces for nearly 4 years! She also needed teeth out, she has a needle phobia so had to be referred to the local dental hospital to have the teeth removed but managed it after a few visits.

Yes it was challenging at times but she's recently had them removed and they look great, she has no regrets at all.

My DD didn't need teeth extracting, but had no issues wearing braces - she seemed to quite enjoy them. He teeth are beautiful now, and definitely worth every penny. The NHS rules for braces are quite strict now.

How old is your son?

invisalign isn’t great for teens. Mine had them originally but they need to be worn all the time. We went for them as he’s very responsible, and tbh the dentist made quite the sales pitch. He was great at first, but soon got self conscious around meals, and wasn’t putting them back in. He swims, and couldn’t wear them in the pool, and struggled in the gym as well.

so by the time they were out for breakfast, then a mid morning snack, then lunch, then he wouldn’t put them back because it was PE or swimming after, then it was dinner time…. They ended up out more than in.

we had to convert to fixed braces, which have been very effective very quickly and he now regrets his vanity attempting invisalign.

definitely have a good think about lifestyle and how often he’ll be taking them out, because chances are if it’s a lot he’ll stop bothering in between…23 hours a day is a challenge the amount of time teens spend eating!

Definitely go for it, to get braces as an adult is thousands of pounds

it’s thousands of pounds for a child too (4-5k here)

nhs currently has waiting lists of 3-5 years so unless the child is referred very young the chance of getting through before they’re 18 anyway is a challenge…

@Notanotherusername4321 you make some good points. It’s been a loooong slog with my son. His teeth have come in reeeealy slowly, (he was over 7 when he lost his first baby tooth) and 2 years ago he had to wear headgear for a year to realign his jaw. I can’t stress enough how diabolical his teeth have been. He has been hugely self conscious for years now. He’ll have braces for maybe 8 months or so, come January, then a procedure to pull down a pesky canine which hasn’t even erupted. When it comes down he’ll get Invisalign. By which time he’ll be well over 16!. He’s been so self conscious about his teeth since he was about 11 that I figured I’d throw him a bone with the Invisalign.

Add to that I’ve had invisalign recently, so I know the drill. Plus a couple of his friends have had them, so taking them in and out isn’t a big deal. But yes, I can see how they won’t suit everyone.

My daughter was offered the same , four extractions and braces . She had the first two extractions which were a bit gruelling and in the end we went with braces without the second two extractions . One row of teeth fine, to be honest the row where we didn’t get them extracted moved back a couple of years after her braces came off , also possibly due to not wearing the retainers .

I would say if you are going for it , then fully commit to the process even if it’s a bit tough .