Braces

RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
We are about to dive into the whole "orthodontial" aspect of having kids with our oldest. He has an under-bite (lowers go in front of upper) and spacing issues due to not getting two teeth (baby or permanent). We went for our initial visit yesterday and I left with a strange feeling about what the Dr was telling me. I agree that my son will most likely be in braces for years but they were saying possibly through most of High School (my son just turned 9 and is in the 3rd grade). He was also talking about using implants to fill in the spaces where he didn't get teeth. I've never heard of putting implants in a child. I've never known anyone who's had braces more than 3 years except those rare case where the teeth are really jacked up.

I am planning on calling the dentist to get another referral for a second opinion but does having braces for about 8 years seem rather strange to anyone but me? I'm not going to say that this guy is only after the money as he really does seem genuine in helping fix the problem but that just seems way too long a time span to get work done.

Another thing that caught my attention is that this Dr rarely looked me in the eyes when talking to me. He'd look at the floor and table more than he looked at me. Generally, people who won't/can't look a person in the eye aren't telling the truth.

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
jaie

jaie

So happy!
Who Was the Dr? I see Dr Kuhns and I really like him. 8 Years does seem like a long time for braces. As for the implates did he indicate that he would do them this young because I would think they couldn't put them in till after the braces are out.
 
Y

ynot

New Member
Dr Kuhn in Wildwood is wonderful!! My son had the same issue and wore an "appliance" to adjust his jaw for about 14 months and then braces for 18 months.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
jaie said:
Who Was the Dr? I see Dr Kuhns and I really like him. 8 Years does seem like a long time for braces. As for the implates did he indicate that he would do them this young because I would think they couldn't put them in till after the braces are out.
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No, he's not planning on doing it until he sees what happens in a few years as far as losing more baby teeth and getting permanent teeth. He said that they can either do the implants or push the teeth together to close the gaps. Right now, phase 1 is fixing his bottom teeth so they are in line with his top ones. Braces for about a year to correct.

ynot said:
Dr Kuhn in Wildwood is wonderful!! My son had the same issue and wore an "appliance" to adjust his jaw for about 14 months and then braces for 18 months.
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That seems more along my line of thinking but I'm clueless as I never had any issues with my teeth and therefore never had braces. I was thinking/hoping that by the time he was 12, his teeth would be ok. He's so self-conscience about the gaps, he never smiles. :frown:
 
Cowgirl

Cowgirl

Well-Known Member
I had braces for almost 5 years. Most orthodontists don't want to rush things because they're afraid the teeth will move back. The theory is it's better to move teeth slowly so they'll actually stay put. Some orthos also don't want to put braces on young kids because they want the bone to be more developed.

If you're worried, definitely get a second opinion though. It never hurts.
 
D

DallasRed

Member
RareBreed said:
We are about to dive into the whole "orthodontial" aspect of having kids with our oldest. He has an under-bite (lowers go in front of upper) and spacing issues due to not getting two teeth (baby or permanent). We went for our initial visit yesterday and I left with a strange feeling about what the Dr was telling me. I agree that my son will most likely be in braces for years but they were saying possibly through most of High School (my son just turned 9 and is in the 3rd grade). He was also talking about using implants to fill in the spaces where he didn't get teeth. I've never heard of putting implants in a child. I've never known anyone who's had braces more than 3 years except those rare case where the teeth are really jacked up.

I am planning on calling the dentist to get another referral for a second opinion but does having braces for about 8 years seem rather strange to anyone but me? I'm not going to say that this guy is only after the money as he really does seem genuine in helping fix the problem but that just seems way too long a time span to get work done.

Another thing that caught my attention is that this Dr rarely looked me in the eyes when talking to me. He'd look at the floor and table more than he looked at me. Generally, people who won't/can't look a person in the eye aren't telling the truth.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

That is strange..Really odd to get braces at that young of an age..The only cases where I knew of kids that young..They had serious issues and they had to wear them twice..I've heard of them putting on spaces to put the braces on that young..They have to do that because the adult teeth aren't in yet. When my oldest needed braces..I went to 5 different dentists before I made my decision on who to use..the consult is free. Good luck And just out of ????..How much do they cost up here. I was told anywhere from 2800 to 5400 in GA...Such a range in prices
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
Cowgirl said:
I had braces for almost 5 years. Most orthodontists don't want to rush things because they're afraid the teeth will move back. The theory is it's better to move teeth slowly so they'll actually stay put. Some orthos also don't want to put braces on young kids because they want the bone to be more developed.

If you're worried, definitely get a second opinion though. It never hurts.
Click to expand...

Well, I can definitely see your point. I agree that things shouldn't be rushed and evaluated often to see how things are progressing. I guess maybe I thought the issues weren't as serious as they really are. I figured they'd get his bottom teeth in line with the top, push the top ones together to close the gaps and he'd have a great smile. Maybe I will hold off on getting a second opinion until I see this Dr again and maybe I could get more information. The visit yesterday was just to see what he was up against. For all I know, he was just giving me a worst case scenario and my son will be out of braces sooner.

They said the next visit would to get moldings done and then they'd have a better idea on how to proceed. Thanks Cowgirl for calming my fears ! I just know how upset my son is about his crappy smile and I guess I just wished for faster results. Regardless of how long it takes, it will be worth it in the end.
 
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RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
DallasRed said:
That is strange..Really odd to get braces at that young of an age..The only cases where I knew of kids that young..They had serious issues and they had to wear them twice..I've heard of them putting on spaces to put the braces on that young..They have to do that because the adult teeth aren't in yet. When my oldest needed braces..I went to 5 different dentists before I made my decision on who to use..the consult is free. Good luck And just out of ????..How much do they cost up here. I was told anywhere from 2800 to 5400 in GA...Such a range in prices
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I was told $2500 but that was just to get his bottom teeth in line with the top. That doesn't include the 10% discount for paying up-front or any insurance benefits. I will know more about the actual "out of pocket" expense later today when the Dr talks to my insurance company.
 
libertytyranny

libertytyranny

Dream Stealer
My bff had braces for seven years. Her teeth look great now, though, but that long isn't unheard of. i would be more worried about putting them on him sooooo young. Surely it can't hurt to wait a bit..the kid's mouth and such are still growing..I thought they didn't put those on until 12 or so?
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
libertytyranny said:
My bff had braces for seven years. Her teeth look great now, though, but that long isn't unheard of. i would be more worried about putting them on him sooooo young. Surely it can't hurt to wait a bit..the kid's mouth and such are still growing..I thought they didn't put those on until 12 or so?
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He first got a referral for an orthodontist at age 4!!! I laughed and tore it up. I ended up just talking to the orthodontist to get a general idea of when I really should bring him in. They said that 9 would be a good age. I waited 5 years and then got another referral. I don't think they are going to do much until all his permanent teeth are in place so now that I think about it, the time span they gave me yesterday probably isn't on a continuing basis, so I'm feeling better about it.
 
D

DallasRed

Member
libertytyranny said:
My bff had braces for seven years. Her teeth look great now, though, but that long isn't unheard of. i would be more worried about putting them on him sooooo young. Surely it can't hurt to wait a bit..the kid's mouth and such are still growing..I thought they didn't put those on until 12 or so?
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I just thought of something I wanted to add..If they do end up getting braces at a young age...Make sure they brush them and take very good care of the teeth..Younger children won't be as worried about it...Because if they don't they can end up having white spots on the teeth that will be permanent.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
DallasRed said:
I just thought of something I wanted to add..If they do end up getting braces at a young age...Make sure they brush them and take very good care of the teeth..Younger children won't be as worried about it...Because if they don't they can end up having white spots on the teeth that will be permanent.
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I was told that they have a dental hygentist on site to keep on the kids to make sure their teeth are healthy once the braces come off. I am also on the kids to brush really well and luckily, my son heeds the warning. 9 years and no cavities. :yahoo:
 
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punjabigyrl

Active Member
RareBreed said:
We are about to dive into the whole "orthodontial" aspect of having kids with our oldest. He has an under-bite (lowers go in front of upper) and spacing issues due to not getting two teeth (baby or permanent). We went for our initial visit yesterday and I left with a strange feeling about what the Dr was telling me. I agree that my son will most likely be in braces for years but they were saying possibly through most of High School (my son just turned 9 and is in the 3rd grade). He was also talking about using implants to fill in the spaces where he didn't get teeth. I've never heard of putting implants in a child. I've never known anyone who's had braces more than 3 years except those rare case where the teeth are really jacked up.

I am planning on calling the dentist to get another referral for a second opinion but does having braces for about 8 years seem rather strange to anyone but me? I'm not going to say that this guy is only after the money as he really does seem genuine in helping fix the problem but that just seems way too long a time span to get work done.

Another thing that caught my attention is that this Dr rarely looked me in the eyes when talking to me. He'd look at the floor and table more than he looked at me. Generally, people who won't/can't look a person in the eye aren't telling the truth.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I would highly recommend Dr. seidel in Lusby. My son was told he needed braces and Seidel said he would eventually need them not an urgency as the dentist made is sound. My daughter goes to him now. 410-257-0353.
 
hotmomma

hotmomma

mmmmhmmmmm
A lot of orthodontist want to intervene early. I think it sounds legit. I do not think it is easy to fix the bite when the bottom teeth overlap the top ones. Does it involve repositioning his jaw? It seems they would have to get the jaw to move back to get the proper alignment.

In any ortho case, I would always get a second opinion. Never hurts to get 2or more doctors opinions when dealing with such an expensive issue.
 
RareBreed

RareBreed

Throwing the deuces
Got the call from the Dr's office. Insurance will cover $1000 and we'll get a 10% discount for paying up-front so Phase 1 will cost us $1350. He goes for his moldings in a few weeks so we'll see what's in store for the future.
 
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