dd is supposed to get braces again and go to a speech therapist, would you do this?

[Paz]

My dd is 18 and has been out of braces for 2 years. She just had a checkup at the orthodontist. He told her that her back teeth have moved a bit due to the way she swallows (pushing her tongue forward) and that by the time she is 40 she may have some problems with her bite and her teeth near the back. He wants her to get back braces and rubber bands again and to go to a speech therapist where she may be able to learn not to swallow like this, but it may not work. I think it's a little crazy to consider doing this and my dd has a lot of other issues she is working on like spelling, writing, and sensory isssues (she is dyslexic) so I don't think she really has the time or patience for this. Will I be a bad mother if her teeth move because we didn't do this?

[ChristusG]

What does your DD think? I think I'd let her make the decision. She's an adult now and can think in longer terms. I'm not sure that I would do it.

[Paz]

My dd thinks it's a little excessive. She really doesn't want. I am really leaning with not, but if she has problems later then I may feel bad.

[sbgrace]

I'm assuming she has a tongue thrust. IMO it's not worth correcting the teeth again if you're not going to change the swallow. I'd do both or neither.

 

Abnormal swallows can actually have health impacts well beyond teeth. I wear an Oral Systemic Balance device to correct mine and it's been life changing. But I'm not sure how tongue thrust affects airway and such....it may be teeth only...not sure. This doctor would know if it likely affects her health I think if you know the type of swallow she has. I imagine he'd be very happy to answer a question for you re: her swallow. http://www.centerforsoundsleep.com/index.php

 

If it only affects her teeth (not health) and she doesn't care if the teeth are messed up she is of an age to make those type of decisions I think. On the other hand, it's your investment being lost and she's young...young isn't known for making well thought out decisions involving future consequences.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

It is my understanding (from my dd's pediatric dentist/orthodontist) that tongue thrust can be corrected, but only if the "patient" is motivated and consistent in her work on it. It takes at least an hour a day (broken up in 10 minute increments) of concentrated practice, for months and months, before the subconscious habits are changed.

 

If dd wants to change her swallow, and she's willing to do the work, I would take her to the speech therapist (or whoever) to work on the swallowing issue first. Only when she got her swallow changed would I even think of braces again. It makes no sense to do braces if she's going to push them out of alignment again.

[Dobela]

I would get a second opinion first. Honestly, since I view swallowing issues as a quality of life issue, I would most likely do speech therapy first - with someone experienced in feeding issues. Then maybe Iwould have a second opinion about the teeth, after the swallowing issues are corrected.

[Mom0012]

I might do the therapy to avoid moving the teeth further out of alignment, but unless she is bothered by their appearance, I wouldn't do the braces again.

 

Lisa

[AnitaMcC]

I think I have something similar... I tongue thrust when I am swallowing. I was never told anything about correcting that.

 

IMO... I would't do the braces and speech therapy unless you do therapy first. I just can't see it helping now as she is 18yrs old unless she really wants to do it. As for her teeth moving what about retainers?

 

I had jaw surgery when I was 20 due to poor bite that in turn damaged my TMJs. I have to wear retainers at night for rest of my life. I still have the tongue thrust thing when swallowing but the retainers take care of keeping my teeth in place and my bite hasn't changed since the surgery that corrected it.

[Sugarfoot]

I had braces a second time in adulthood after having them as a teen, due to shifting caused by an undiagnosed tongue thrust. I trained myself to push my tongue to the roof of my mouth instead of forward when I swallow. My teeth are still straight 13 years after the second round of braces, which is when I began working on my swallowing.

[KidsHappen]

I wonder if my dd has this problem. She was tongue tied when born which we didn't correct. She had braces and an expander as a teen and while her teeth are straight and look great she already has excessive wear on her back teeth at 19. She has a night guard but doesn't use it because she says it causes problems breathing. She has always had problems swallowing and has frequently choked because of it. None of her dentist ever said anything about this though. :confused:

[Teachin'Mine]

I might do the therapy to avoid moving the teeth further out of alignment, but unless she is bothered by their appearance, I wouldn't do the braces again.

 

Lisa

 

Ditto!

 

Sometimes just being aware that what you're doing is wrong, you can force yourself to do it differently, but it would probably help to have someone show her clearly what she should be doing. Then it's probably just a matter of being aware and making the change - something which she can probably do pretty much on her own. If her teeth are okay for now, then with a change in how she swallows, they shouldn't move further and she can avoid all the hassle and expense of more work. :tongue_smilie:

[Audrey]

My dd is 18 and has been out of braces for 2 years. She just had a checkup at the orthodontist. He told her that her back teeth have moved a bit due to the way she swallows (pushing her tongue forward) and that by the time she is 40 she may have some problems with her bite and her teeth near the back. He wants her to get back braces and rubber bands again and to go to a speech therapist where she may be able to learn not to swallow like this, but it may not work. I think it's a little crazy to consider doing this and my dd has a lot of other issues she is working on like spelling, writing, and sensory isssues (she is dyslexic) so I don't think she really has the time or patience for this. Will I be a bad mother if her teeth move because we didn't do this?

 

 

Speech therapy fine. Braces, no. She's already BTDT. I think your ortho just wants more business.

[ElizabethB]

I had braces when I was in middle school, and I could never figure out how to swallow right...but, they showed me once and didn't explain it well and didn't harp on how important it was and my mom didn't really understand either how to fix it or the importance of it, so I still swallow a bit incorrectly.

 

My teeth have hardly shifted at all, and it's been quite a while since I was in middle school! (I had children late.)

[MGK]

How can you tell if your child has an abnormal swallowing pattern? My son just got braces and I want to be prepared. I've never even heard of this.

[sheryl]

Oh dear. My 11 yo dd just had braces put on last week. I'd get a 2nd opinion. Can you check around with a couple of different ortho's and ask upfront if they would charge for a consult visit? It should be complimentary.

[Paz]

I wasn't there for the meeting with the orthodontist so I just got more information from my dh and dd. He said her teeth in the back (not the very back ones but the ones right next to them seem to have moved a bit. The orthodontist seemed puzzled by this and said it "might" be from the way she swallows and she "might" have problems with her bite around 40 years down the road but maybe speech therapy would help, and that she should get braces again and lets set up an appointment for May. This seems totally crazy to me since he seemed puzzled and then thought up a quick solution. He is a very good orthodontist and gets great reviews from his patients but my thought is that 1) the economy is bad and he needs more business and 2) we are in an area where some people will spend money on trying to be perfect so he figured we may want to try to be perfect too?