WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Wow. Went to the first of three different ortho consults today. Bottom line: severe overbite, recommending Herbst or possibly surgery, LOTS of $$$$. The Herbst is the probable recommendation, but if we sign with this first ortho, they will be taking special x-rays to evaluate for possible surgery. :tongue_smilie: And it gets even more fun if that happens because my daughter is a Type 1 diabetic, which has its inherent extra risks. I'd like to hear any experiences, good or bad, with similar options. At the moment, I'm REALLY glad we decided ahead of time to do three separate consults, although I'm not a fan of all of the paperwork x 3. Anyone been down this road? I'd like to hear any experiences, good or bad, with similar options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The Herbst is the probable recommendation, but if we sign with this first ortho, they will be taking special x-rays to evaluate for possible surgery. :tongue_smilie: Anyone been down this road? I'd like to hear any experiences, good or bad, with similar options. I have been down the road twice so far. My oldest has had his Herbst removed. It worked great; he no longer has an overbite (his was very severe.) My 12 year old just had his Herbst inserted about 4 months ago. His overbite is not as severe as his brother's was. Neither of my sons was bothered by having the Herbst in his mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thank you! I knew I could count on the hive. Others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 My dd is getting one probably next week to correct a severe overbite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheryl h Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 My oldest 2 dc have both had one, and we only had a few minor problems. My dd towards the end of her treatment, formed a nasty coldsore right where the herbst was hitting her cheek in her mouth. It got so bad they had to take the herbst out a week early, but the ortho said it was fairly common and it healed in a few days. My ds grinds his teeth when he sleeps and broke his several (like 5) times...this is typical for boys they told me...and they fixed it every time for free. So, I guess our experience wasn't uneventful, but nothing out of the ordinary either. Their bites are fixed now. I am sure that my younger 2 dc will have the same treatment and I have no anxiety at all about it. I only wished they had the herbst when I had to have ortho work instead of headgear. The humiliation!:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'd be interested to hear how it goes . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thanks for this. My daughter asked today about getting more frequent canker sores, to which she is prone. How hard is the appliance to keep clean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thanks for this. My daughter asked today about getting more frequent canker sores, to which she is prone. How hard is the appliance to keep clean? My oldest son didn't develop any canker sores, but he is not prone to them. As far as keeping it clean, I think he just drank a lot of water after meals and brushed and water picked (I don't think he ever flosses unless I help him:glare:) around the tubes. He found the appliance uncomfortable for the first day or two. He put dental wax on areas of it to keep it from irritating his cheeks during those first few days, then he was back to normal. - His brother enjoyed calling him "Robo-Mouth" or "Terminator Teeth." Now this same brother has a paletal expander and has a 1/2-inch gap between his front teeth. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Two of my boys have had them. One used wax ear plugs to cover the edges when he slept to avoid canker sores. Mynother son did nothing and never had a sore. Both had their overbite corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjshima Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 My son got his braces on at the beginning of the year. They were going to put a Herbst appliance in to correct his overbite. At his last appointment, I asked them when they were going to put it in. I was informed that our orthodontist no longer uses the Herbst appliance and uses a different method to correct overbites now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 My son got his braces on at the beginning of the year. They were going to put a Herbst appliance in to correct his overbite. At his last appointment, I asked them when they were going to put it in. I was informed that our orthodontist no longer uses the Herbst appliance and uses a different method to correct overbites now. Oh? Do tell! :bigear::bigear::bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katnorman Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I had a herbst when I was 12-13 (a long time ago!) and it really wasn't that bad. It just took a few weeks to get used to and I had it for about 1.5 years. I had a pretty bad overbite and it corrected it. Now 16 years later we are dealing with this with our 6, almost 7 year old dd. She has a severe overbite that if we didn't do the herbst would probably have to have surgery. Tomorrow she is being fitted with an expander and it about 6-8 months will get her herbst in. Funny thing is, we are using the same orthodontist that did mine and he gave us a family discount :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I have an asperger's kid in a Herbst right now. He's doing great with it and he's only 10! His teeth have shown so much improvement. I never thought he would be able to tolerate so much metal in his mouth since he has huge oral sensitivities....but he really hasn't had any problems with it. The older son was supposed to get the herbst but by the time his permanent teeth came in, all the rubber banding that he did, corrected the overbite. (It took almost 3 years or wearing braces and several rubber bands at the time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjshima Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Oh? Do tell!:bigear::bigear::bigear: They haven't told me exactly what the procedure is, but they will be using elastics instead (which is what I thought they used to do before the Herbst appliance!). My son probably won't get it done for another month or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 They haven't told me exactly what the procedure is, but they will be using elastics instead (which is what I thought they used to do before the Herbst appliance!). My son probably won't get it done for another month or two. Interesting. I'd be interested to know why they switched back, if you find out . . . I will probably need to go through this with my other child, too. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjshima Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Interesting. I'd be interested to know why they switched back, if you find out . . . I will probably need to go through this with my other child, too. :glare: When I talk to the orthodontist, I'll let you know (it was the assistant who told me this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjshima Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 When I talk to the orthodontist, I'll let you know (it was the assistant who told me this). I took my son to the orthodontist this morning and asked why they weren't doing the Herbst appliance with him. They said that they will do it if the overbite is severe enough. Fortunately, my son's overbite is not too bad and can be corrected easily with just elastics. They said the appliances can be uncomfortable, so they try to avoid it if they can. They take it on a case by case basis for each patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Thanks for posting this follow-up. I appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Dd got upper braces and a Herbst yesterday. Her mouth was pretty sore by last night. The ortho said it will take a week or two before she is used to it. She's drooling a lot (normal) and is having a hard time talking because her jaw has moved forward about 1 cm. Her overbite was quite pronounced. Dh and I can't get over how much more balanced her face looks with her jaw moved into proper position. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Dd got upper braces and a Herbst yesterday. Her mouth was pretty sore by last night. The ortho said it will take a week or two before she is used to it. She's drooling a lot (normal) and is having a hard time talking because her jaw has moved forward about 1 cm. Her overbite was quite pronounced. Dh and I can't get over how much more balanced her face looks with her jaw moved into proper position. :) :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: to your daughter. I hope she can adjust quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maxmandoo Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 the wire between my top molars on my herbst appliance hangs down about a centimeter is this normal or do i need to se my orthodontist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My 13 year old son got upper braces in the fall and a Herbst in March. He was a little uncomfortable the first day or two, and I gave him 2 milkshakes that first day. And he just had to adjust the way he ate that first week slightly with the new appliance in. But after that he has been fine. I read very quickly through the other replies. Our orthodontist warned us about possible soreness, but gave us both wax and a tube of "goo." It is actually two tubes you squeeze out together and it forms something that looks like a silicone putty. (I fondly called it the bathtub caulking.) It worked great, even better than the wax. You put that on the areas rubbing against the mouth and it will prevent further soreness/open wounds. My son had a minor bite issue and the Herbst was recommended, the other option would have been to wait until he was an adult and he could choose to correct through surgery. It wasn't overly noticeable. But when they later said it was probably optional for him, we went with it b/c it's a small time window to take advantage of the Herbst being able to correct the jaw alignment while they are growing I am so glad we did, and my son is too. The change to his bite is noticeable already. We don't see the Herbst unless he yawns very wide. And I remember researching ahead and seeing something about it maybe getting stuck open. His was put in well, and he can open as wide as he wants. Good luck and ask any other questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Oh, to the person who asked about the wire hanging down -- yes you should probably see the ortho. They can adjust/cut it very easily and that might avoid discomfort sometime later on with it rubbing in your mouth. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
provenance61 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 And one more p.s. ...you can also eat with the bathtub caulking in. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Both of mine had herbst appliances. My oldest adjusted in about a week. Youngest was younger when she got hers in, and it took about two weeks (and it was not a fun two weeks!) but they adjusted and learned how to eat with them. For us it was worth it. The other option was to pull teeth, and I hate pulling perfectly good teeth. Both had lower teeth that were actually striking the gums behind the upper teeth when they ate, and pushing the gums off the teeth. My daughter later told me that it never occurred to her that it wasn't supposed to hurt when she ate--poor girl! Anyway, for us it was hard at first but absolutely worth it. (BTW, one also had to do an expander, and both did elastics eventually too--so they did need quite a bit of work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Wow, when I responded the first time in this thread, my middle son was 12 and had just had his herbst inserted. He is now 16 and hasn't had the herbst for a couple of years. The herbst worked great for both of my boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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