emzhengjiu Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My 15 yo daughter had her first appointment with an orthodontist today. She has a mild underbite. The orthodontist is recommending braces but with the extraction of 4 permanent teeth. Apparently, he feels this is the only way other than jaw surgery to correct her bite reliably. We're going to get at least one more opinion, but I'm hesitate to allow 4 healthy teeth to be extracted. The most significant concern if the underbite is not corrected is wear of the front upper and bottom teeth. Suggestions or advice would be very welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF612 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My son is younger but his bite and jaw position are wrong (upper jaw not out far enough so teeth are sitting directly on top of each other). He has a palate expander to correct his side bite and wears a face guard to pull his upper jaw forward. Is she too old for that type of correction? We were told surgery was the next option of this doesn't fix it (eek!). If get a second opinion but would probably try to avoid surgery. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My youngest has had 4 1\2 years (so far) of orthodontia for an underbite. They have not recommended any extractions, except of primary teeth and wisdom teeth. However, he has had a palate expander, headgear, and the orthodontist still thinks he may eventually need surgery. Definitely get a second opinion. But IMO extractions may be the best option. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 If your mommy instincts say that's going overboard, get 3 additional opinions. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I had a similar bite as your daughter. I had 4 teeth pulled, also. Despite my family's opinion, I actually have a small mouth. The only way to get my teeth straight was the extraction. I have a pretty smile now and don't miss those teeth. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 We have another appointment, but at the local dental school soon. Since this school trained the ortho we saw today, I imagine the recommendation will be similar. This is really hard, harder than I thought it would be. Does anybody else agonize over these kinds of decisions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Well, I am naturally missing one permanent tooth. My parents made the choice to have another pulled as part of my orthodontic treatment. I regret it daily as I put in my partial denture. In fact, at the time the tooth was removed I wondered why we were pulling a healthy tooth. So I'd definitely ask her opinion at her age.I don't want surgery so dental implants are out (and too expensive for us now anyway). A bridge would destroy 4 healthy teeth (since the teeth on either side would be crowned). Since crowns don't last forever, each time they would get fixed more of a healthy tooth would be destroyed. Destroying 4 very health teeth seems absurd.That leaves me with a partial denture. Yes, I've had it since high school.Yes, I still hate it. I'd rather have a less than perfect bite/smile. Clearly, my experience would leave me very hesitant to put my child anywhere close to my situation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My 15 yo daughter had her first appointment with an orthodontist today. She has a mild underbite. The orthodontist is recommending braces but with the extraction of 4 permanent teeth. Apparently, he feels this is the only way other than jaw surgery to correct her bite reliably. We're going to get at least one more opinion, but I'm hesitate to allow 4 healthy teeth to be extracted. The most significant concern if the underbite is not corrected is wear of the front upper and bottom teeth. Suggestions or advice would be very welcome. I had this done as a teen....same situation. My parents decided to do the permanent teeth extraction rather than jaw surgery. Had the teeth extracted, wore braces for about a year and a half. The orthodontist was able to very slightly tip my bottom teeth back with braces/rubber bands to correct the underbite. I'm 43 years old now, and have had no problems----because I had a little more room in my mouth, my wisdom teeth all came in straight and didn't shift my other teeth at all. I still have my wisdom teeth, and they're healthy and causing no problems either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My son had an overbite and the ortho gave us a choice between a palate expander or pulling two teeth on top. I was initially quite hesitant about pulling healthy teeth, but the ortho said that with the palate expander there is more likelihood of the teeth trying to revert to their original position. Once we heard all the pros and cons of each option, I let DS make the decision and he opted to have the teeth pulled. So far it's worked out well and he has no regrets. FWIW, his dad had a palate expander and headgear as a kid and his teeth have reverted quite a bit in the last 20 years — the difference is quite noticeable in photographs. That was one factor that led DS to choose to have the teeth pulled instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 My 11 yo daughter is in the same situation. This is a common problem for Asians. They are putting her second set of braces on at the end of October. They are waiting for all teeth to be in before they determine which ones to extract. This is the conservative plan. We could do headgear and surgery for more definitive results. We want to avoid that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I'd be hesitant to pull healthy teeth, but there are times that it's necessary. I'd get several opinions, even if you have to drive far. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I have a very small mouth. As a teen I had 4 back molars extracted to make the room necessary to straighten my crooked teeth. This also gave room for my wisdom teeth to come in, and once they did they were pulled as well (much easier than removing impacted wisdom teeth). Though they were all healthy teeth at the time of removal, I haven't missed them and have had no problems without them. So get a second opinion, but know that the extraction thing doesn't have to be a big deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 We are in the same boat. Dd is getting 4 baby teeth (no adult teeth under them) extracted to make room. I am hesitant but with the threat of surgery looming, this seemed less invasive. She has the added complication that those teeth may or may not hang on throughout her entire life since they are not adult teeth. It seems to make sense to just assume they would not hang on and arrange her mouth accordingly. In the long run, the orthodontist says it will mean less time in braces which is a better trade-off for many kids. My own dd would prefer to deal with a little initial discomfort if it means shaving off a year or more in treatment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF612 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Ahh this post has me worried now that it'll all be for nothing. Our ortho hasn't mentioned the possibility of teeth extraction. I'm going to ask next time about the possibility that everything will just settle back how it is. Argh. I was finally not stressed about all his mouth issues! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonesinIndiana Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Get 2 or 3 opinions. Unfortunately, because of your daughter's age, she probably isn't a candidate for all the appliances (headgear, palate expander, etc) orthodontists use to treat skeletal growth issues. I would ask about where her chin will be in relation to her teeth? To use the technical terms, will her mandible or lower jaw be Class III (3) while her teeth are in Class I, if you do the extractions? Will surgery correct the teeth AND the mandible? (It's difficult to say without seeing pano and ceph X-rays.) I just googled class 3 bite and there was a great site that showed the difference in skeletal class 3 and dental class 3. That might help you make your decision when you get your other opinions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 Ahh this post has me worried now that it'll all be for nothing. Our ortho hasn't mentioned the possibility of teeth extraction. I'm going to ask next time about the possibility that everything will just settle back how it is. Argh. I was finally not stressed about all his mouth issues! It's frustrating isn't it! I hope you get clear answers. I'm in a sharp learning curve and trying to assmilate all the information being thrown at me; at least that's how it feels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 There was a cancellation at the school of dentistry this afternoon. It was a strange appointment. The professor spent about 5 minutes examining my daughter. He said she has a very slight underbite and recommended we talk with the oral surgeon at the school. According to this man, braces would be effective about 40% of the time. We're going to have a screening appointment next month with the oral surgeon, but I doubt we'll go forward with surgery. If for no other reason than I can't afford it even at a teaching facility. CHIP will not cover any of the expense. Not to mention the risks of surgery in her case outweighing the benefits. Honestly, I feeling confused and overwhelmed but will trudge on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalypso Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I had 4 permanent teeth removed and wore braces for 2.5 years. I am 47 and have not ever missed those teeth or had any problems because of their removal. Definitely get 2 or 3 opinions. I agonized over my 16ds's treatment before making a final decision. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 My 15 yo daughter had her first appointment with an orthodontist today. She has a mild underbite. The orthodontist is recommending braces but with the extraction of 4 permanent teeth. Apparently, he feels this is the only way other than jaw surgery to correct her bite reliably. We're going to get at least one more opinion, but I'm hesitate to allow 4 healthy teeth to be extracted. The most significant concern if the underbite is not corrected is wear of the front upper and bottom teeth. Suggestions or advice would be very welcome. Both of my dds needed to have teeth extracted. It was worth it to see their beautiful smiles. Get one more opinion if it will make you feel better, but often, those tooth extractions are necessary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 My 13 yr old daughter has a slight underbite. It got worse after palate expanding that probably should have been done at a younger age. She had two impacted canines and had surgery and chains to bring them down. She has had braces for a year now. The dentist mentioned surgery but said it probably wasn't worth it because the underbite was so mild. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Oldest had braces & 4 permanent teeth removed, He has a small mouth and his bite is now perfect. I was expecting it because I also had braces & 4 permanent teeth removed. However, I was also missing 1 permanent tooth naturally, and wish they had taken its mate when I had braces because that one left-over tooth has caused all the teeth in my bottom jaw to become crooked again. They could have pulled it and moved the remaining teeth to fill the gap, and then my bottom teeth would fit perfectly in my little jaw. My mouth is just too small for the teeth I have on the bottom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Oldest had braces & 4 permanent teeth removed, He has a small mouth and his bite is now perfect. I was expecting it because I also had braces & 4 permanent teeth removed. However, I was also missing 1 permanent tooth naturally, and wish they had taken its mate when I had braces because that one left-over tooth has caused all the teeth in my bottom jaw to become crooked again. They could have pulled it and moved the remaining teeth to fill the gap, and then my bottom teeth would fit perfectly in my little jaw. My mouth is just too small for the teeth I have on the bottom. My older dd was missing both lateral incisors (the teeth on either side of the top front teeth). The adult front teeth came in, the baby lateral incisors were staying put, and the adult eye teeth were coming in too high in her gums, sort of hanging over the baby lateral incisors, and they were very pointed. The baby eye teeth were extracted, then braces pulled down the adult eye teeth into the places where the lateral incisors should have been; eventually, the orthodontist shaped the eye teeth so they don't look like eye teeth. :-) Then, because she had more lower teeth than upper teeth, the two teeth on the *outside* of her lower canines were removed, and braces pulled everything in. She has a beautimous smile. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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