Braces

[Thismumrunsonhugsandtea]

I’ve just been to the orthodontist with my son and they said that he needs braces. He has more than an 10 mm overbite and they want to give him a retainer. We’ve made an appointment for six weeks in the car. He said he doesn’t want the braces because he’s worried about getting bullied. The dentist didn’t help by saying you have to wear them all the time and you have to have good character because some children get bullied when they wear braces.🙈 what do I do? Do I give him the option bearing in mind he does have jaw pain sometimes or do I tell him he has to wear them? I don’t know how I’m going to make him wear the retainer. It’s one that you can take out or is it okay just to wear at night? I’m really not sure what to do about this situation.

He’s 14

This! My daughter has been begging for braces even though she was told NHS won't fund them as she doesn't have any overbite and her teeth gap is too small to qualify. She says braces are very much "in".

How has he got baby teeth coming through at age 14?

Maybe she means the second set of molars?
I didn't know about them until my 1st son showed me new teeth coming through age about 14. I thought he was a scientific miracle! I must have got them myself but don't remember.

Ah yes, they’re permanent adult teeth though aren’t they, rather than baby teeth, maybe that’s what she means

If you can afford it, I’d get recommendations for a private orthodontist now. Bites and palates, if I remember correctly, are best sorted when children are going through their big growth stage.

Our (private) orthodontist is excellent. As standard, the cost is spread evenly over the treatment period, and we pay quarterly.

I don't think this is the issue, it's the her son doesn't want the braces and also likely won't wear the retainer. Compliance is the issue, not finding someone to fix his teeth.

I don’t think you’ve seen the latest update from the OP. He was wearing them.

So we went through this with my daughter

Retainers are not the same as braces. They are the first stage in correcting an overbite. I’ll be honest , they are brutal. BUT … they work.
But in order for your son to work , he will have to be determined.
They are removable , but he will have to keep them in all the time except when eating. After he has eaten he will have to clean the retainers and brush his teeth. Every single time.
They will hurt like hell for the first day or so but after that your son will forget they are even in.
His speech will change. This was the part my daughter struggled with the most and she barely talked for a year at school.

School were brilliant , they gave her access to the disabled toilet to deal with her teeth at every break and lunchtime. She wore them consistently for a year and has face is transformed , her overbite is corrected and she is now on the braces stage to straighten her teeth. After having the twin block retainers , the braces are a doddle.

Not one single child said anything to her , negative or otherwise, during the entire time she had her retainers in.

Bullying was my fear too. But it seems (here at least) that kids just don’t care about braces anymore. If anything , they are sought after as some sort of fashion statement.

My friends son needed twin blocks as a child but he wouldn’t wear them.

He is now about to have surgery (having his jaw broken and fixed) due to the problems his overbite causes, practically and aesthetically.

Hope that all makes sense , that’s an honest account of our experience.

Harsh, but worth it 👍

Oh I just noticed this is an old thread

it took me ages to write the above 🤣🤣🤣

Yes, I noticed it was an old thread, but OP updated!

With twin blocks, I think there are different types. It may depend on whether it’s NHS or private. Ours were just plastic retainer type things and were no bother at all. Similar to this (photo from Google!)

Apologies.
That's the second time this week I haven't read all OP's post before responding.
Shame on me! Back to MN school.