how young do they put braces on kids these days (baby, appropriate) - Parenting -Children, problems, school, daycare, behavior, age, teenagers, infants - City-Data Forum

no kudzu · 12-04-2009, 02:02 PM

my daughter is seven and we have known for quite some time she will need braces as one bottom tooth is completely behind two others and one front tooth is coming is incredibly crooked.

Of course I know we need to see a dentist but I was wondering

if we could just skip the dentist visit and cost and go directly to an orthodontist. Do they pull teeth as young as 7 and put braces on that young?

Thank you for any information you may share.

golfgal · 12-04-2009, 02:13 PM

The orthodontist won't clean her teeth like they do at the dentist so no, you can't skip the dentist.

Most orthodontists will do free evaluations though. Check with your dentist to see who he recommends. They will let you know when it will be appropriate for your DD to get braces. Getting them at 7 really doesn't do much for them but if she needs a palette expander they will do that now.

Hopes · 12-04-2009, 02:21 PM

An orthodontist won't put on braces when there's a significant number of baby teeth still in the mouth.

Also, braces too early will mean a second set of braces will be needed when older because everything changes as the child grows.

But some children need to have two sets of braces if their teeth are super bad.

Your dentist will advice if your child should bee an orthodontist earlier. I'm a bit surprised you don't already have a dentist for your daughter.

UnincorporatedResident · 12-04-2009, 02:33 PM

I am facing the same situation with my 7 yr old. Her dentist said that they have to make 'records' for her before they can send her refferal to an ortho. Once they make the permanent records they give a cleaning and mold her mouth. My daughter will be eight in Feb and her dentist has us coming in just after her B Day as her final adult tooth hasn't fully descended yet.

Hopes · 12-04-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnincorporatedResident

I am facing the same situation with my 7 yr old. Her dentist said that they have to make 'records' for her before they can send her refferal to an ortho. Once they make the permanent records they give a cleaning and mold her mouth. My daughter will be eight in Feb and her dentist has us coming in just after her B Day as her final adult tooth hasn't fully descended yet.

Wow! Her final adult tooth already? Are you sure? My son still had 13 baby teeth quite a few years after the age of 7. I remember because the orthodontist said that we had to wait a couple more years. And I wasn't taking a 7 year old to the orthodontist. I'd estimate he might have been about 10 years old at the time.

Dragonfly8 · 12-04-2009, 03:41 PM

My sons are 12 and 13 and have had braces for almost 6 months. And it was delayed due to baby teeth needing to come out.

My recommendation: Choose a dentist that does Orthodontics IN his/her office. There are some that do. I chose our dentist for this very reason.

It sounds like your daughters teeth are crowded. My 13 year old has this.
It could be necessary to reduce the number of permanent teeth to allow room.

skbs · 12-04-2009, 03:45 PM

I was actually in the 3rd grade when I got braces. I had the bottom teeth first and by 5th grade the upper and bottom teeth had braces. I wore them until the beginning of 7th grade. I had two molars that needed to come in and they put spacers there and one of my upper molars were pulled.

omigawd · 12-04-2009, 03:45 PM

My DD is 11 and needs braces. Her orthodontist says he won't put the braces on her until all the baby teeth fall out and the adult teeth are completely in.

I would think 7 is entirely too young for braces. If your orthodontist is insisting on putting braces on a 7 year old, find out why he thinks she needs them at that age (where she probably has most of her baby teeth still) and then get a second opinion.

rockinmomma · 12-04-2009, 04:46 PM

My oldest (almost 16) has his braces (brackets)put on at 9. He had them taken off six months later. But there was more to it than just the brackets. He wore headgear every night for about four years until all of his permanent teeth were in. My middle one wore a retainer from 8 until 10 and will not need brackets. The youngest, now 9, has a quahelix in the roof of her mouth and may not need brackets either, but time will tell. Our dentist is also an orthodontist.

Not all orthos will put brackets on children until all their permanent teeth come in. I find our dentist/ortho is very knowlegeable and has had great success in the long term with her approach. Even if your ortho wants to wait for brackets, there are appliances (headgear/quahelix/retainer/etc) that can get the process started and greatly reduce the time the child has to wear brackets.

haggardhouseelf · 12-04-2009, 04:49 PM

Our youngest son needed braces at age 8 for his top front two teeth. His baby teeth have all been very stubborn, and because they didn't fall out when they should have the permanent teeth grew in every-which-way, causing problems. He wore braces for about a year to correct several issues that came about from his stubborn baby teeth, and the orthodontist now says he most likely will not need braces later on, unless we just simply want that "perfect" smile. The main thing that braces are meant to do - more important than vanity reasons - is to correct the bite and to ensure there is enough room between the teeth for proper care of the teeth. As the baby teeth are falling out and the permanent teeth are moving in, that's the perfect time to make sure that things are moving into the correct position as the bones in the jaw at that time are more malleable than they will be at an older age.