Braces :-P

[shinyhappypeople]

8 yo DD needs braces, no question about it. She has a large buck-toothy gap between her two front teeth and some crowding of each tooth on either side of her front teeth. Her 6 year molars are in, but she still has lots of baby teeth waiting to fall out.

 

So, I've taken her to consults with two orthodontists. My personal hopes for phase 1 were to close gap, pull the front teeth in (so no buck teeth) and make her smile more typical. I'm going into this understanding that she will also need braces when she's a young teen to finish the job.

 

DR. A:

 

Diagnosed lots of problems. In addition to the gap, he said she has a serious overbite, needs nightly head gear for 6 mos., needs a palate expander to make room for her eyeteeth, minor laser surgery to remove the excess gum between to two front teeth that will show up once he pulls them together, and braces for 16-18 mo.

 

Cost: $4,000

 

DR. B:

 

Her overbite is just her buck teeth, braces will close the gap and pull them in. No need for head gear. Prefers to take a "watchful" approach. Her palate is normal size and her eyeteeth seem to be in a normal position (they're still inside her gums obviously). We can wait and see if a palate expander is necessary. Treatment time would be 9-12 mo. followed by retainer. Prefers to shorten the time with braces for Phase 1 as much as possible, because younger kids can have trouble keeping their teeth clean with braces on.

 

Cost: $1,500

 

Setting cost aside... ('cause if it's just an issue of cost, Dr. B wins hands-down :D )... I want to make sure I'm making a reasonable decision for DD, and I'd really value some BTDT input.

 

DR.A's approach is aggressive and preventative.

 

DR. B's approach is more cautious and watchful with younger kids, doing the minimum.

 

I know this is cynical, but DR. A has a gorgeous office (one of the nicest dr. offices I've ever seen. Just beautiful.) with all the latest equipment, lots of staff. Someone's paying for that high overhead and it's the patients. That doesn't mean that he's really over-diagnosing or over-treating, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once.

 

Another thought: DR. B has no motivation to under-diagnose or under-treat her. If she truly needed a palate expander and head gear then it's win-win (she gets what she needs, he gets $$$).

 

But, on the other hand, I *don't* want DD to have to deal with surgery or more complicated treatment down the road because we weren't aggressive enough now.

 

And yet, I also don't want her to deal with more NOW than she really needs to.

 

So... what would you do?

[BigMamaBird]

I'd choose B. With a wait and see approach, you can always address issues later if you need to.

[jennsmile]

I would go with B too. I would rather a teenager undergo surgery than my 8 yo. But I take a very wait and see approach in many things. So I would have issues with number one. That is why I changed dentists for my kids. I don't like it when they are agressive and treating everything under the sun among other things.

[fairfarmhand]

dr. B--noone ever knows how their kid will grow once they kit puberty. Things may not be that bad later on, and your dd would have been spared all that dicomfort and you would have been spared all the $$$$

[Parrothead]

I'm a take it slowly type person when it comes to medical things. So B gets my vote.

[JFSinIL]

I'd choose B - why do you think A has such a nice office? He can afford it since it sounds like he milks patients (or their parent and insurance) for all he can. I have NEVER heard of a kid getting laser surgery on gums after gaps were closed - that reeks of extra $$ for the doctor more than need for the patient.

 

Is it possible to get a third opinion, even from an ortho farther away, just to get a more professional opinion? Are there any parents of kids in braces you know of in the area you can ask for opinions? Usually folks seem to find, word of mouth, the best ortho in an area.

[LisaKinVA]

I'd get another opinion, and speak with your dentist.

 

IME, big problems with teeth that aren't dealt with early lead to MORE expensive and painful procedures later.

 

We took a wait and see approach with something that would have cost about $15k overall if dealt with properly, from the beginning. We have now spent $50,000 to correct it, and I'm still not done.

 

My oldest daughter has severe crowding (a palate expander won't help). She had 4 teeth pulled at 8yo. Will have 8 teeth pulled (including 4 permanent teeth) at 11-12yo. If we *didn't* do this with dd, she would have teeth growing out on top of her other teeth (her permanent teeth were not pushing out the babies, just coming in wherever). I have a niece with this same issue that my brother never treated. She is now 14yo, and her mouth is a complete and utter mess. They have looked into treatment, and it is now complex, invasive and really, really, expensive. It would have cost about $6,000 to pull all of the teeth over the years. Now, teeth have fused, and the cost has ballooned to about $12,000, and that's NOT including the cost of braces, or implants to replace the teeth that have fused to retained primaries and become one large tooth.

 

Granted, these are extremes... but I would want to know *why* Dr. A feels the more aggressive treatment necessary, what are the drawbacks to only doing what Dr. B suggests, etc. I would also want to know what the potential drawbacks are to Dr. B's plan. Given that no one has a crystal ball and can completely see how the treatment will work (or not work), we are only working off of the basis of how the outcome *should* look.

[Plagefille]

Just a thought... She seems really young to be doing ortho stuff. My parents started me at the same age I was not done until 17! Yes for 11 years I always had something going on in my mouth including braces for over 4 years. I HATED it!!!! I think they thought early on that they just needed to fix a few things but until all my adult teeth came in it we could not be DONE. I am NOT saying that will happen to her just something to keep in mind.

[Mommyfaithe]

I would go with dr. b. I am taking dd today to a second opinion. She is 13 and ahas a cross bite and over bite. I expect it will take a good 2 years to correct...and a pot of $$$.... Sigh. I was told my older kids would need orthodontic work when they were 7 or 8 and I took a wait and see approach. Their teeth came in beautifully....no braces needed.

 

Faithe

[Halftime Hope]

We had one child that needed to be treated aggressively due to an accident, but the other two have done well with watchful waiting until it was time to take action.

 

In your shoes, I would get a third opinion specifically asking about palate size. Depending on the answer there, I'd choose A or B.

 

Without a third opinion, I'd go with B.

 

In our experience, Dr. A said all of the above for dd, as in your scenario; Dr. B recommmended watchful waiting. Dd is now 19, has perfect nearly perfect teeth; she has never graced the ortho chair for more than her 15 minute yearly checkup. That huge gap in front closed itself without needing the surgery that Dr. A said would be needed to cut the muscle that was between the teeth. Balderdash.

 

I finally took Dr. B my crooked teeth, and it's the first ortho treatment he's done in our family--and I have three kids. I'll get my braces off before Cmas. : )

[Hockey Mom]

If you go with the hyrax (palate expander), be prepared to have tylenol on hand, and a lot of patience. My DD was in agony each time we had to expand it. I hated that thing almost as much as she did. She had to have it due to breathing problems (her palate was too high, minimizing her breathing passage), so we did that first. She had it in for 9 months. Then came braces.

 

I would go with B, simply because Doc A sounds like overkill for a child as young as yours. Yeah, the aggressive approach may save you in the long run, but this is a young child. She's not going to fully understand or appreciate what you're trying to have done. To her, it will just painful...she won't be thinking of the long-term goal.

[HappyGrace]

I would get a third opinion to see if the invasive stuff is necessary. Because you don't want to *not* do it if it's needed.

 

I say this because those two opinions are very different from each other. With my ds8, everyone from the dentist, etc., was telling us pretty much the same thing as far as diagnosis-very overcrowded, overbite, huge gap in the two front teeth that wasn't allowing the adult ones next to them to come down out of the gums, etc.

 

You are getting two quite different diagnoses! I'd want more info to find out if the more invasive is truly needed or not.

 

And also FWIW, our ortho is in a $$$ suburb with a gorgeous office, and ds8's Phase 1 is a palate expander, 4 braces on top, 6 on bottom, headgear, and then eventually a bite plate for $1,500. This will all take 10-12 months. (He would not start Phase 2 til he is 13 to make sure all his adult teeth are in.)

 

Of course, that may be to get us in the door and then they may KILL us later with phase 2, but still... big difference from the prices you quoted.

 

Lord bless your decisions-I know it can be tough to know what to do!

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I voted Dr. B because a conservative approach has worked well for all of my kids so far. One of them had a palate expander, but two that may have needed one did not end up needing one when a growth spurt happened. The main thing that helped us was checking with the ortho every 6 months, so when they needed to start treatment, we didn't delay. When I took ds12 this summer, Dr. said it's time, NOW. He has grown 3 inches this summer, and treatment is going smoothly and the change is rapid. I agree with the others that say get a third opinion.

 

If I knew how to post pics, I'd show you three gorgeous mouths. :D

 

However, I would talk to Dr. B about the laser gum procedure. I think NOT doing this added about a year to dd #1's treatment. The extra gum kept preventing the two front teeth from moving together.

 

One thing our orthodontist has learned from our family.... Since we are all tall, delaying treatment makes more sense because there is so much growth ahead for our kids. There may not be as much time to wait if your family is petite. (Ds is 6'6", Dd #1 5'11")

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with LisaK. I had braces as an adult. I didn't go with the most expensive or the cheapest consult. I went with the ortho that I felt most comfortable with. I was happy with my results. I had a friend who did braces soon after I did. She went with the cheapest option. She wound up doing over $15k in surgery, including having a bunch of teeth pulled and replaced with plants after the cheap ortho destroyed her teeth.

[KLynnTX]

I said B, between those two choices, however, you might get a couple more orthodontists to look at her. Get some more opinions. Can't hurt.

[LaxMom]

I would (and did) go with B. My eldest daughter had some crazy toothy issues. We put off orthodontia until she was... 14? and the majority of her adult teeth were in. Just the waiting resulted in a much more aesthetically pleasing smile.

 

When we were ready, our dentist did the braces, but sent us to an "expert" first, for a second opinion. He told me, point blank, I was a horrible mother if I didn't have her jaw broken and extended with rods to correct what our dentist calls "the family overbite". No oral hygiene issue, just strictly cosmetic. I chose to be a horrible mother.

 

She had braces for less than 2 years, then a retainer at night. Unless she clenches her jaw and bares her teeth, nobody can see the family overbite. (I prefer my children not bare their teeth at people anyway) She has a lovely, straight-toothed smile.

[Tess in the Burbs]

with such opposite opinions I would get a third opinion and decide then. but let me tell you....try for someone fairly close by ;) in the beginning of braces we were in the office often days in a row with bands popping off and such. they have it right now, and we will actually have gone without going inbetween visits, but early on I was glad I could pop in to get a new band quickly. The front office gal was experienced and that was SOOOO helpful.

 

Also, you deal with the front desk a lot. So try to consider that person in your choice. At first I didn't like the gal and had issues trying to get some questions answered. I made a point to befriend her and now she's always on top of our case/insurance and like I said, she used to be a tech so she often let us come in to get small things done when the Dr wasn't in :D

 

cost isn't everything. customer service is!

[Starr]

The laser surgery between the front teeth is fairly standard but often it's cut if laser technology isn't available. I would consider another opinion as well. If there is indication she would need surgery later the approach Dr. A is taking is cheaper and easier. I find medicine so confusing, so many approaches and I have to be the one to choose. Ack! Our ortho generally waiting until baby teeth are out for treatment.

[Ginevra]

I chose B. Obviously I'm in good company.:D

 

I went with a wait-and-see orthodontist for my dd and I don't regret it.

 

Also, my personal dentist has an older office and it is not fancy, but he is so reasonable and conservative about his fees and interventions. I appreciate his frugality. I am confident that he is very knowledgeable as he teaches at a dentistry school on Fridays, but he obviously doesn't overcharge so he can have a fancy place.

[Little Nyssa]

These estimates are so drastically different that I'd be confused and get a third opinion!

[homeschoolmom]

These estimates are so drastically different that I'd be confused and get a third opinion!

 

:iagree:

[brightside]

I chose other. My son had similar issues and we waited until his baby teeth were all gone. My ortho said it is a waste of $$ to do it before then unless medically necessary (like a cross-bite) because when the jaw grows during puberty it will just have to be done again.

 

We also did the laser surgery on the gums. It is not actual surgery they take a laser and sort of scrape off excess gum tissue, it is done in the office and they are fully awake. He was a bit sore, but he says it hurt less than the braces being tightened.

[shinyhappypeople]

We have options for 3rd and 4th opinions (I love that ortho consults are free). The 3rd one we can go in this a.m. We'll see if we can make it (other stuff happening today, too). I was hoping to just skip it, but DH agrees with y'all: he prefers Dr. B, but thinks a 3rd opinion would be useful.

 

What makes me nervous about Dr. C (who we have the option of seeing today) is that he's been described as "expensive, but worth it." We're already to the point of needing to wait 6-9 months to start DD if we went with Dr. A. With Dr. B we could start in Jan. So, going to a consult for an "expensive but worth it" orthodontist makes me nervous. WHY is he expensive? Is it because he's aggressive like Dr. A or he's just really skilled?

 

Our 4th ortho consult option is an older man who has been practicing f.o.r.e.v.e.r. He did my sister's teeth and is doing my 18 yo niece's teeth now. I was hesitant to go to him because I don't want him to retire mid-treatment. But for my niece's very complicated mouth my folks only paid $5,000. And we're talking 3 years of braces as well as some other stuff, I think. Her mouth is a mess, poor girl :(

 

So, if I end up taking DD to Dr. C ("expensive but worth it") today, I'll report back. I'm relying on y'all to help me cut through the bull and evaluate what's excessive and what's necessary. No pressure, though ;)

[KarenC]

I would also talk to your dentist. I thought a palette expander worked best when the child was young. If you are trying to avoid pulling teeth, I would start with that as soon if possible, if a third opinion and your dentist says that it is actually necessary.

 

Karen

[HollyBee]

I voted other: Get a third opinion.

 

I'm more inclined to go with Dr. B. However, ds had a palate expander when he was 8 or 9, and did beautifully. He has a permanent retainer glued behind his top front teeth that will come out when he has his final set of braces put on. Our ortho. seems to be a good balance of wait and see, and do what needs to be done early to prevent future problems. We were told that if he didn't have his palate expanded when he was young, that the gumline could possibly be crooked all his life, even if the teeth that came in wonky and crowded were pulled down and straightened.

 

Good luck. It's kinda like trying to see into the future, unfortunately. :grouphug:

[myfunnybunch]

Other: I would go to at least 2 other orthodontists. I would also check with your dentist for his or her opinion. Then I would decide.

 

When I took my ds for an ortho consult, three of the four orthodontists were remarkably similar in approach: Wait until baby teeth come out or jaw growth is at a certain point. They all offered free consultation visits until ds is ready. The fourth (interestingly, the guy with the super-fancy waiting room with video games, and snacks and coffee for parents) was much more aggressive treatment-wise. And much more expensive.

 

When I told our dentist who we'd chosen, he said we'd absolutely gone with one of the best orthodontists in town. When we'd told him before our visits that Dr. Expensive was on our list of considerations, he was more lukewarm (but still professional).

 

Cat

[Laura Corin]

I voted B but I'm not convinced that you necessarily need to do anything now. Your child sounds very similar to my eldest. I had advice from two doctors when he was eight: one said to do work straight away, the other said to wait until all his adult teeth had come in. We waited and he had treatment at thirteen. It was very easy and straightforward: one tooth extracted, braces, then a removable retainer. His teeth used to stick out and rest on his lower lip. They are lovely now.

 

I'd ask your dentist if the problem is severe enough to need treatment now.

 

Laura

[sassenach]

I voted B, but I would probably get a third opinion.

[Lady Florida.]

These estimates are so drastically different that I'd be confused and get a third opinion!

 

I voted other: Get a third opinion.

 

 

:iagree:From your follow-up post, it looks like you'll be getting other opinions. It can be so hard to decide, especially with your dd being so young and still having some baby teeth. Although ds did still need braces (and he has about a year left to go), some of what his dentist thought would be problems, self-corrected as his permanent teeth came in. I'd be sure and ask whichever doctor you choose, what's cosmetic and what's medically necessary. That's not to say you shouldn't choose to fix the cosmetic issues, but I'd want to know exactly what I'm paying for.

 

Good luck. I know from experience that it isn't easy.

[Mothersweets]

Dr. B!!

 

I've put 8 kids through braces and Dr. B is the way to go. She is only 8, for crying out loud!

[LisaKinVA]

As a side note... about asking your dentist. We have two dentists for our family. One for dh and I (non-preferred for our insurance). He stays up on all of the latest technology, etc. He is *worth* the money, but with 5 kids all of the payments were just too much. He referred us to Ortho A. This dentist also gave us invaluable information for my cavity-prone dd... who had her first cavity-free appointment *ever.* This is the dentist I recommend to *everyone.*

 

The cheap dentist (as in...chain dentist office, preferred by insurance) we take our kids to, because no out of pocket costs for cleanings... ALSO referred us to Ortho A. I only rec. this dentist for people who just need basic care (no issues), or who *must* have someone who works with their insurance. The care is okay. They don't stay on top of research and technology... and when it came to my cavity-prone daughter, their best advice was to have her swish with Listerine.:tongue_smilie:

 

Good orthos get recc'd by dentists (very highly). When you go to get your 3rd and 4th opinions, have questions ready based upon what you've already been told. Being well informed is your best asset. Perhaps that's one reason I work so well with our ortho... I don't know. But, he *knows* I know what's available, and doesn't try to BS me.

 

Take your time, ask the questions, go back to orthos A & B armed with what you're learning. Waiting 6 months to start treatment (at this point) isn't going to make the aggressive treatment more expensive, or hurt your options with the less expensive option, either. FWIW, I really don't consider an 8yo incapable of understanding why they may need surgery. Each child is different, but most of the 8yo's I know can be reasoned with, and understand what is what.

Edited October 27, 2011 by LisaK in VA

[Angjune]

I vote for B though you may have more choices by now. I agree with the others to see what your dentist suggests. When my son was young, I thought for sure that he would need braces as his front teeth seemed very prominent. However, the dentist never recommended seeing the orthodontist. Well, as he matured he sort of "grew into" his teeth and has never had treatment. On the other hand, from the age of 3 or 4, I had dentists tell me my daughter would need to see the orthodontist due to crossbite, etc. She was under the watchful eye of the orthodontist for years and didn't get her braces until 14.

[SonshineLearner]

I'd go with Dr A :) I am taking my son in soon... he's 8 and I know he needs help :(

[redsquirrel]

I would talk to your family dentist. My son has had braces and it has sort of been down the middle of what you describe in treatment and it has cost us 6,000$. So, the 4,000 seems cheap to me, lol. Near as I can tell, that is the going rate around here. But, our family dentist, who has an excellent reputation and I trust, specifically suggested this ortho because of his high level of patient care.

 

So, talk to your dentist and maybe even get a third opinion. Sometimes watchful waiting can be helpful. Sometimes I think Drs can really underestimate what is needed in order to reduce 'sticker shock'. I might even ask on my local hs'ing list for people to contact you offlist. The lower price of Dr B might be too good to be true. It might turn out that Dr A has painted a more realistic picture of what is going to happen.

[Truscifi]

I also vote for another opinion, preferably more than one since the first two are SO different. Then you can make a more informed choice.

[Ali in OR]

We are going through this right now too. My dd was just seen by the ortho today. This ortho comes highly recommended by her pediatric dentist whom we love as well as many friends. His approach is generally more conservative than some orthodontists and he tries to do just one phase of braces when permanent teeth are in whenever possible. There are some situations however when it is better to have a phase 1 however and it looks like that is where we are with our dd. She has a pretty severe overbite and protruding front teeth. He was able to explain to my satisfaction why her mouth is like this and why a year of headgear now is a good thing. Her lower jaw is shorter than her upper jaw and when she bites her permanent molars are misaligned by a whole ridge/valley (that would be my terminology, not his!). Her lower lip gets pulled in and that helps push the front teeth forward. The advantage to treating her now is that her jaw is in a period of rapid growth. The headgear will restrain her upper jaw and allow her lower jaw to catch up. She will still need braces later for the teeth, but this will fix the jaw issue. This is different than how this was treated when my generation was in braces, but if we wait until the bones are all fully formed, she may need to have surgery to fix it where it is an easy fix now.

 

For the protruding front teeth, we basically have the option to fix it now (more expensive but gets her smile looking more normal sooner and lowers chance of teeth getting broken in sports or a fall) or when she has braces for her bite later (cheaper). We will start in January so we can set aside money in our medical reimbursement account but it is something we need to do now at age 9 rather than wait until her jaw is done growing.

[J-rap]

My gut tells me B, but I'd definitely get a third opinion. Also, I'd see if I could talk to other people. Can you talk to other moms in town, and find out where their children went, if they were happy with the outcome, etc.? Eight seems very young. My youngest's teeth were quite a mess, but the ortho really didn't even want to touch them until she was at least 12 or so, maybe older. They did pull quite a few teeth early on, however, in preparation.

[Amy1k]

I agree with a third opinion.

 

My 15.5 year old has been in braces for about six months. We started doing consults two years earlier and never found a single ortho willing to do anything until all his baby teeth fell out. His last one fell out around his 15th birthday. Poor kid. :D Anyway, he'll only have 14 months in braces total. We did end up picking a more expensive (slightly, they were all fairly close) doctor because his close proximity to our house made sense. I'm glad we decided to do them there, because there are a lot of visits. The nice office is a plus, but we would have survived without it.

[cindergretta]

About 3 years ago we took our oldest 2 for an orthodontic consult. He recommended just a whack of treatments for both of them. In addition, he predicted many dire outcomes if we didn't start in immediately with this laundry list of stuff. Straight up, we didn't have anywhere near the $$ for this. (We were on food stamps, for heaven's sake!). Now, 3 years later, most of the issues have resolved. One issue remains and will need orthodontia treatment. But all his dire predictions - Bah!!!

 

That is my n=1 experience. (For another, my parents were told how badly I needed braces at 12. By 21, without ever having braces, my teeth were as near to perfect as possible; straight, evenly spaced, etc.)

[Joyofsixreboot]

Don't traumatize the kid and do more than necessary.

[katilac]

I voted B but I'm not convinced that you necessarily need to do anything now. Your child sounds very similar to my eldest. I had advice from two doctors when he was eight: one said to do work straight away, the other said to wait until all his adult teeth had come in. We waited and he had treatment at thirteen. It was very easy and straightforward: one tooth extracted, braces, then a removable retainer. His teeth used to stick out and rest on his lower lip. They are lovely now.

 

I'd ask your dentist if the problem is severe enough to need treatment now.

 

Laura

 

I think the OP said they want to do some work now for cosmetic purposes. It's the norm to have this type of correction done early in the states; it's really unusual to see older kids with noticeably crooked or buck teeth.

[Laura Corin]

I think the OP said they want to do some work now for cosmetic purposes. It's the norm to have this type of correction done early in the states; it's really unusual to see older kids with noticeably crooked or buck teeth.

 

Is it not worthwhile to have the underlying assumptions questioned? Then the OP can decide. I've often had my assumptions challenged by international comparisons and it's usually been helpful. FWIW husband is a middle class American with wonky teeth.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[elegantlion]

Is it not worthwhile to have the underlying assumptions questioned? Then the OP can decide. I've often had my assumptions challenged by international comparisons and it's usually been helpful. FWIW husband is a middle class American with wonky teeth.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

Yeah, I'm a middle class American with some dental issues, not quite at the point to make braces necessary. We never had dental insurance as kids.

 

Fortunately ds's issues have mostly corrected with growth, but I doubt every American child is walking around with a perfect Hollywood smile by 15.

 

I would vote B, but 8 is so young.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

When my dd needed braces we were given a long list of what MIGHT be needed. Including the laser surgery on gums. Our dr said that everyone is different and that he preferred the "wait and see" approach. NONE of those things were needed!!! She was in the braces for longer than first thought by a few months.

 

I would go with the more conservative doctor and address other issues as they arise IF they arise.

[cin]

I chose Dr. B, but I haven't seen your child's mouth. Our girls are both Asian and have SMALL mouths. DD1 had an expander and 4 BABY teeth pulled. Her teeth were so tight that they wouldn't fall out. Her front top teeth were also sticking out quite a bit. We're almost done with phase 1 (and dd2 is almost ready to START phase 1 :glare: ) and her mouth looks a TON better.

 

DH & 1 could both tell that DD needed more space. And their dentist, (a Pediatric Dentist) had been warning us for years. So for us, it came as no surprise.

 

Right now, DD2 (7 yr old) has several lose teeth that just WON'T fall out. Her x-rays are normal, the permanent teeth are there, her teeth are just SO jammed in her mouth. Her BABY teeth.

 

As far as the expander goes, our dentist told us that if the baby teeth look perfect, with no gaps, then you're in trouble because the permanent teeth are going to be bigger. They need some extra space.

 

Hope this helps. I was interrupted several times, so actually, I hope it makes sense :D

[Laura Corin]

Yeah, I'm a middle class American with some dental issues, not quite at the point to make braces necessary. We never had dental insurance as kids.

 

 

Once they were finished, the ortho turned round and said that the bottom ones needed doing now. He thought the ortho was crooked (because why not do it all at once?) and refused the treatment. It turns out he did need the work if we are talking about aesthetics - the bottom ones are seriously snaggly. They work though.

 

Laura

[katilac]

Is it not worthwhile to have the underlying assumptions questioned? Then the OP can decide. I've often had my assumptions challenged by international comparisons and it's usually been helpful. FWIW husband is a middle class American with wonky teeth.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

 

But of course. I was just saying that one consideration for getting some of the dental work done early might be cosmetic, rather than "needing" to have it done early. And I meant that it's unusual for kids now, not 20 or 30 years ago.