Braces--how old in your family?

[lovemywhirlygirls]

So my oldest dd will be 11 on Saturday and the orthodontist told me today that she will be "ready" for braces by this summer. In the meantime, she still has 6 teeth that will need to be lost naturally or pulled. UGH!

 

I didn't get braces until I was 14. Seems the age is getting younger and younger. Is that your observation? Do you think this increases the chances of needing to have braces again later?

 

Let me know what you think, please.

[Janna]

Well, I got my braces when I was in 5th grade. I had to wear them for YEARS though because I refused to wear my rubber bands and my head gear (yes, it was in the early 80's, LOL). I have never needed braces since then and my teeth are still in really good shape.

 

My dd (10) will be evaluated soon. Her situation is a little more complicated in that she has TMJ. However, her best friend, also 10yo, just got her braces OFF (already!). Her teeth look great. So I dunno.

 

I wouldn't say that the age is getting younger and younger though, just because of my age back in the early 80's. It probably depends a lot on the teeth and mouth shape.

[Starr]

Our orthodontist waits until all the baby teeth are out in most circumstances. I have seen children with severe bite problems start earlier. Does "ready" mean necessary?

[Crissy]

My orthodontist won't put anyone in braces before all the baby teeth are gone *and* the roots of the permenant teeth are fully developed.

He says moving teeth with under-formed roots can cause the root to stop developing and cause problems later in life.

Early braces, he says, are also part of the reason many people wear braces more than once.

[Lorna in the boonies]

I was 11 when I got mine, and dd was 12 when she got hers. I do seem to see a lot of smaller children (8-9ish) wearing them these days, though.

[camibami]

My oldest has hers off already. They went on at nearly 9, came off at nearly 10. She had a pallette (palet? pallet?) expander due to crowding, but no teeth pulled. She wil wear a retainer indefinitely, but probably not have braces again unless she flakes on the retainer wearing.

 

My youngest could have had them *last year* at the age of 6! They both lost their teeth early, got their permanent teeth early, which makes a difference I think. We're waiting until after Christmas to put them on my youngest, she may need teeth pulled (teeth she only just got in, LOL) as her mouth is extremely small. Right now her teeth are sideways on the bottom, and her permanent molars in front bottom (yes, already!) can't come in because of crowding. They are poking through the side of her gums, which is bad. Braces now means straighter teeth for her teen years, and easier teeth cleaning,they are so crowded and crazy its really hard to brush and floss them.

 

I had mine at 13, but had a bunch pulled first. Now it seems they save as many as they can via palet expanding and whatnot.

[Retired]

The orthodontist wanted braces at a 11 for oldest ds. We waited 18 months due to move. (He was very mature at 11 and would of done well)

 

My now 11 yo ds needs braces but we are waiting until he becomes more responsible. I still have to remind him to brush/floss.

 

When he matures enough to do these without instruction. Then he will be ready for the braces and all the additional work it takes to keep the teeth clean. There is a lot work with bands and the extra effort in flossing.

[asta]

My DS had to have braces twice, due to a condition called "cross-bite". The cross-bite had to be corrected while he still had some of his baby teeth (and while his jaw was still very malleable), and the overall straightening had to be done a couple of years later when he had all of his permanent teeth (which took forever to come in). Now they are perfect.

 

The orthodontist and I discussed the whole "young" vs "older" thing rather extensively, as I really thought DS was too young (he was 10). Ortho explained that research has discovered that some children are hitting puberty earlier and their jaws are becoming less elastic (easy to work with) earlier than when we all had our braces in the 80s.

 

It isn't that it is impossible to put the braces on later, it is that the jaw and teeth tend to move more easily at these younger ages (assuming the kids have their permanent teeth). As an example, he pointed out that for his adult patients, their care takes almost 2x as long as the average 14 year old, simply because the teeth don't want to move.

 

Just for anecdotal data - the crossbite that my son had was worse than the first photo at this link. His teeth just grew that way; no tongue thrust, no thumb sucking. The two solutions for fixing it were early braces on baby teeth and then a second set on permanent teeth or wait for permanent teeth and break his jaw.

 

I think most people will have totally benign teeth issues with their kids. I, personally, was in and out of braces in 16 months at age thirteen. But some kids will probably always need palate expanders or weird stuff like my kid at a young age. I just look at it as one more investment in his future.

 

Best of luck,

 

 

asta

[Colleen]

So my oldest dd will be 11 on Saturday and the orthodontist told me today that she will be "ready" for braces by this summer. In the meantime, she still has 6 teeth that will need to be lost naturally or pulled. UGH!

 

I didn't get braces until I was 14. Seems the age is getting younger and younger. Is that your observation? Do you think this increases the chances of needing to have braces again later.

 

My observation (since you asked;)) is that we live in a culture that assumes orthodontia to be the norm. There's something very "off" about a society wherein the vast majority of children growing up in financial capable families (note the emphasis) get braces on their teeth. By "financial capable families", I'm not referring to folks rolling in money who can pay for this in cold, hard, cash. Rather, I'm referring to people who actually think about such things and feel a burden to "give" their children braces if they "need" them. People whose lifestyle even allows them to think about such things, in other words.

 

I'll tell you what. Any professional who told me a child would be "ready" for braces by a particular age would be on my short list...My short list of people whom I would never pay again, that is. Go beyond the simplistic assumptions; posting here is a good sign you're doing just that. Yeah for you!

[coffeefreak]

31:smilielol5:

 

Seriously, I get mine off this Christmas :party:

 

Then, I have to wear a retainer the rest of my life:nopity: BUT I no longer have TMJ, or Headaches, and I can now chew on both sides of my mouth!!!!

 

I kind of blame my parents because they didn't see braces as "necessary." But, then again, the technology on braces has come so far. I know some kids who need some orthodontia care while baby teeth are still coming in because they won't be able to come in unless the space is made. They've been able to prove that it's actually LESS work if they do it now and Less chance of root problems as well as time spent in braces. After what I've been through as an adult (and my case is mild compared to some), I will totally do whatever the orthodontist tells me to do for my kids. But, then again, I trust my orthodontist and I really like how he handled my case. He does everything he can not to pull teeth (even on children), and he wants you to be out of your braces ASAP.

 

HTH! Good Luck!

[Amy in Orlando]

We went through three free consults until we found an orthodonist we liked. He is not big on pulling teeth. He IS big on what is going to look natural for each face and if orthodontia is even necessary. For my twins it was necessary - one is missing (congenitally) on of his major front teeth and the other inheirited my overbite which is larger than cosmetic. Talk to as many doctors as you can ... all offer free consults. Find the one that you feel comfortable with before you do anything. IMO, too many people go to one doctor and follow through. At the very least get a second opinion.

[coffeefreak]

 

Rather, I'm referring to people who actually think about such things and feel a burden to "give" their children braces if they "need" them. People whose lifestyle even allows them to think about such things, in other words.

 

I'll tell you what. Any professional who told me a child would be "ready" for braces by a particular age would be on my short list...My short list of people whom I would never pay again, that is.

 

While I don't totally agree or understand what you mean by this post, I will say second opinions ARE NECESSARY. Orthodontists are kind of like hairstylists. They each have their own way of doing the same thing. I HATE dentists and I did shop around. My dentist is highly recommended and respected in the community. Even other dentists referred me to him. That being said, I paid more for him than I would have if I had gone with some others.

 

The other thing to consider if you DON'T do braces is the problems your children will face down the road. I had multiple dentists BEG my mother to put me in braces and she refused. It wasn't the money - I'm an Army brat, they would have been free. She just didn't see them as anything other than cosmetic. But even in the 80's, the dentists knew that my bite was going to become off, and that I was going to have problems later on down the road. All because one tooth didn't come in right. I could not chew on the right side of my mouth because my bite was so off. My teeth were collapsing on each other, I had mouth pain and I had TMJ and headaches. That's why, at the age of 31 I was in an orthodontist's chair and shelling out $5000 to get the problem fixed. Which brings up another point. Most insurance companies will not cover anyone over the age of 19 who has not already started treatment. Trust me, I tried. We paid 100% out of pocket. I shopped around. The Least I would have paid was $3000, and that dentist wanted to pull teeth (a sign of a bad dentist IMO - it should be a last resort).

 

So, do I feel it's my responsibility as a parent YES! It will be far less money now to take care of this for my kids than if they have to fix it later on down the road. Do I know whether you HAVE to do it right now or not? No, but you'll know after you get some other opinions from other dentists.

 

Thanks for letting me get on my soapbox about oral care:D

[asta]

:iagree:

 

And further, whether one wants to buy into societal norms or not, the reality of the situation is, society rewards "pretty".

 

There have actually been scientific studies done on appearances and how they affect socio-economic status. A person who presents with straight teeth, properly groomed fingernails, and a clean overall appearance is rewarded in society; the opposite is less so.

 

It isn't even necessarily about money, it is about opportunity.

 

 

asta

[Laura Corin]

My New Zealand dentist in Hong Kong said that Calvin would be ready for braces at thirteen. In his case, his top teeth protrude and sit naturally on his lower lip. I'm not one who believes that teeth have to be perfect, but I think they should at least be inside your mouth!

 

Laura

[Colleen]

There have actually been scientific studies done on appearances and how they affect socio-economic status. A person who presents with straight teeth, properly groomed fingernails, and a clean overall appearance is rewarded in society; the opposite is less so.

 

It isn't even necessarily about money, it is about opportunity.

 

But let's be realistic. The vast majority of folks who don't get braces for aesthetic purposes will not end up with a set of grossly misaligned teeth. It's not as if most people ~ like, say, Condoleeza Rice ~ with less than "perfect" teeth (by America's 21st century standards) are wandering around pan-handling.:tongue_smilie:

[Laura Corin]

 

But let's be realistic. The vast majority of folks who don't get braces for aesthetic purposes will not end up with a set of grossly misaligned teeth. It's not as if most people ~ like, say, Condoleeza Rice ~ with less than "perfect" teeth (by America's 21st century standards) are wandering around pan-handling.:tongue_smilie:

 

I've told the story before of my husband (American) who had his top teeth fixed but then refused to have the bottom ones done (he thought that the orthodontist was a swindler). He did indeed end up with crooked bottom teeth, but has had a successful career, is happily married, and all despite being only 5'5", which is also meant to be a disadvantage.

 

Laura

[asta]

 

But let's be realistic. The vast majority of folks who don't get braces for aesthetic purposes will not end up with a set of grossly misaligned teeth. It's not as if most people ~ like, say, Condoleeza Rice ~ with less than "perfect" teeth (by America's 21st century standards) are wandering around pan-handling.:tongue_smilie:

 

This is getting off topic, but Condi Rice has straight teeth. She has a congenital split between her two front teeth; it is a very common familial trait.

 

(other famous people with this split: Madonna and my mom :001_smile: )

 

 

asta

[mom2att]

My dd had some braces when she was 8. By some I mean that she was not in full braces--she had a palate expander to correct her bite and a few brackets on her upper teeth to pull the teeth back in line. She wore all this for a year. There was talk of braces later on, but the ortho found that she has very shallow roots and was worried about loosening her teeth with further braces.

 

I've been delaying taking my ds in for the same issues (crossbite) but will soon--he's 8. The kids have inherited my very small mouth, and as someone who had many permanent teeth pulled for space reasons and spent 3 years in braces, I'm happy that early orthodontia has helped to prevent that happening in my kids. Nobody talked about palate expanders when I was growing up--sure wish they had!

[mamaof2andtwins]

My son had his on at 12 1/2. He is now in the retention phase and has been for almost 6 months. He also had to have all of his permanent teeth. She did "help" out a couple very loose baby teeth in the first 6 months of treatment.

 

He was not the original reason why we went looking for an orthodontist. It was for one of the 9 yo twins. Like Barbie's daughter, she had a narrow upper palate, and it needed to be moved out before the upper teeth could come in properly. We visited three orthodontists, and I am VERY glad we did. Of the three that we went to, only one thought it necessary to address the fact that she was still sucking her thumb and had some tongue thrust issues. This did help. My dd's teeth came in, and all was well for a while. Now she did have an expander, and she is now in braces on her front 4 top teeth. However, by checking around, we bought ourselves 2.5 years of time. Otherwise the poor girl would have had an expander at 6. It was tough enough at 8 1/2.

 

Also my orthodontist doesn't put all the metal on at once and wish you luck. She had braces as a kid and is very sensitive to what the child will be going through. So, she puts it on little by little, and let's them adjust before adding more.

 

Jennie

[lynn]

When they take care of the hygiene without being told to. They really have to keep their teeth and braces clean.

[BritAnnia]

My ds got braces when he was just turned 12yo. Most of the kids at the orthodontist are in the early to mid teen age range.

[JFSinIL]

My kids are about 13 - 14 when they get them. My kid brother had them from age 6 - 12 BUT he also had a badly formed jaw and needed braces/headgear to shape his mouth so he could talk clearly. Depends on what needs to be done. If it is just cosmetic stuff (like my kids) then waiting until the adult teeth are in place makes sense.....but I think many orthos bow to parents/kids who want to be done with it and have the braces OFF before high school.

[camibami]

I forgot to add in my earlier post that oldest DD's braces were cosmetic only. She had some snagly teeth, but no *problems* per se.

 

Youngest DD ( the one the orthodontist and several dentists encouraged me to get her into orthodontia at 6) has severe bite problems. She has buck teeth, despite zero thumb sucking or anything, from crowding, and the aformentioned crossways, crazy teeth. She will need braces or face serious problems later.

[Peela]

Ds will be 13 next week and will have braces in the next year or so. He is a later teether and just had 3 very entrenched baby teeth pulled because of, well, basically, deformed teeth growing in the wrong places. We needed to make space.

11 does sound rather young.

Dd managed to avoid braces by getting excellent orthodontic care when she was about age 9. She had a plate.

[Ria]

I'm lucky to have an orthodontist who is very honest. At our last visit he examined one son, showed me what was cometically wrong with his teeth (very minor...I'd never notice), and then said, "But why waste your money on braces? This is not going to effect his bite."

 

The same dr. has been treating my now-11 year old son since he was 7 years old...not with braces, but monitoring the serial extractions (12 teeth removed - 8 baby teeth and 4 permanent teeth) designed to give him enough room for his remaining permanent teeth. Like my dh, this child's jaw is way too small for his teeth. Dh's parents chose not to treat - after all, who sees the bottom teeth, right? Well, now dh is 45 years old, his bottom teeth are crowded, overlapping, and they are prone to decay because he can't floss between them (that's how tight they are). And it would be $5000 to fix it....money we don't have. Dh is adamant that ds not go through what he's gone through, and thus the extractions. The great news is that our son might not need braces at all now since he's got room!

 

Ria

[Rhonda in TX]

Her orthodonist waited until she had lost all the teeth she needed to on her own. DS (age 12) hasn't gotten them yet because he hasn't lost all the teeth he needs to yet. DD is older in her mouth, if that makes sense.

 

I would not have teeth pulled to get braces in 5th grade. It can wait.

[Tracey in TX]

DS got braces at 8y/o. His mouth was too small and teeth were already crossing over each other. Wore them for a year and will get set #2 next year.

 

DD will get braces next year.

 

DS has wickedly crooked teeth and will also get braces next year.

 

DH may be getting braces again. Next year. LOL

 

Thank goodness two kiddos have straight teeth.

[lovemywhirlygirls]

I thank you all for your responses. My dd who is "headed for" braces has HUGE teeth like me. The dentist/orthdontist have kept a close eye, via x-rays, as to what is happening with her incoming permanent teeth. She has small jaws and the number/size of the teeth compared to the available space is a real issue. It appears on the x-rays that the permanent teeth are coming down "out of whack" because of the positioning of the baby teeth that aren't budging. She is having pain when chewing and headaches fairly frequently. The ortho is hoping the baby teeth will eventually move on out naturally (they don't seem to have budged in the last year) and he's trying to wait it out. We'll go back in May and see where we are. IF the teeth come out on their own, I'm hopeful that the rest of her teeth will come in nicely (as the front have when given the space) so maybe any issue will be cosmetic only.

 

Side note...I had a friend in high school who had NO permanent teeth. She still had baby teeth in 9th grade and had to get implants for a whole set of permanent teeth. Braces don't sound to bad when compared to that!

 

May al of our children have lovely teeth like these! :D Ha!!

[Mamagistra]

 

My observation (since you asked;)) is that we live in a culture that assumes orthodontia to be the norm. There's something very "off" about a society wherein the vast majority of children growing up in financial capable families (note the emphasis) get braces on their teeth. By "financial capable families", I'm not referring to folks rolling in money who can pay for this in cold, hard, cash. Rather, I'm referring to people who actually think about such things and feel a burden to "give" their children braces if they "need" them. People whose lifestyle even allows them to think about such things, in other words.

 

I'll tell you what. Any professional who told me a child would be "ready" for braces by a particular age would be on my short list...My short list of people whom I would never pay again, that is. Go beyond the simplistic assumptions; posting here is a good sign you're doing just that. Yeah for you!

 

:iagree: I love teeth with personality. :D

[bettyandbob]

dd had stage 1 braces when she was 8. This included a palate expanded and addressed other jaw issues that are best addressed while still growing. The orthodontist said she would need stage 2 when she was 11 or so. However, her front teeth look great, major dental issues were addressed in stage 1, so stage 2 for my dd may be more cosmetic than anything. Since her teeth which are visible look great and there are no major dental issues I will likely forgo stage 2, unless her dentist suggests otherwise. At her last dental visit, the dentist said he did not think there would be reason to proceed with stage 2 as the orthodontist suggested.

[Colleen]

This is getting off topic, but Condi Rice has straight teeth. She has a congenital split between her two front teeth; it is a very common familial trait.

 

Yes, her teeth are straight, but they aren't our society's "ideal". And yet she and others whose teeth are less than "perfect" (whether due to a congenital split, lack of alignment, whatever) hasn't floundered in life. That was my point.:)

[GailV]

Side note...I had a friend in high school who had NO permanent teeth. She still had baby teeth in 9th grade and had to get implants for a whole set of permanent teeth. Braces don't sound to bad when compared to that!

 

 

 

Wow, I had a friend who finally got her adult teeth in college, at which time they were immediately slapped into braces.

 

Older dd had a palate expander at age 8 to correct a cross-bite. She had braces starting at age 11, which will come off tomorrow morning -- they were on for 16 months. Woohoo! No extractions, either. By the way, when we interviewed orthos, one said she would almost certainly need 4 extractions, one said it was a 50-50 chance and he couldn't tell until doing a work up that would cost us $200, and the 3rd said she almost certainly didn't need any teeth extracted.

 

The ortho looked at her younger sister (age 9), looked at the x-rays (which showed permanent teeth coming in quite crookedly) and said we really didn't need to do anything yet, but could if we wanted to. No cross-bite, so we're fine to wait a few years until we get started.

 

 

On a side note, I'm not so convinced that the preference for perfect teeth is a matter of societal expectations. I think we are hardwired to prefer regular, symmetrical features, given that good bone structure denotes a history of healthy reproduction and a good possibility of future healthy reproduction. We're sort of like horses -- didn't people use to look at a horse's teeth to judge its quality?

[Tabrett]

I have a friend who is a denial hygienist. She told me to wait until my dd's permanent teeth were all in. If I started earlier, it would cost more over time and take longer to straighten the teeth. I waited. DD was 13 when she got her braces.

[Sharon H in IL]

I have a friend who is a denial hygienist.

 

:lol: I love it.

[PamJH]

my son's ortho said he likes to start early because there's less of a chance of the child being obstinate about brushing, using bands, expanders, etc. My son started at 11 and he'll be 13 1/2 when he gets them off in January. I can just now spot little signs of rebelliousness, so maybe the ortho is right.

[Laura R (FL)]

My orthodontist won't put anyone in braces before all the baby teeth are gone *and* the roots of the permenant teeth are fully developed.

He says moving teeth with under-formed roots can cause the root to stop developing and cause problems later in life.

Early braces, he says, are also part of the reason many people wear braces more than once.

 

I would say that this is the philosophy of our ortho and I tend to agree with him. I really don't see the point of full braces at age 9-10 and full braces again years later. Our ortho also charges sometimes thousands less than others. He also saw my youngest at age 9-10 and turned her away.

 

That said...My oldest had braces with him at age 10. It wasn't a full set, just headgear for an overbite and four brackets to close a forming gap in the front teeth. She wore the headgear for a year at night, then a retainer until she outgrew it (9 months maybe). He told me then that she would need full braces later to finish the job.

 

My youngest had her full braces at age 11, but all her permanent teeth were in, and that's the only reason he considered it. She had bite issues (different bite issues), and just a few crooked teeth on the bottom. She will only wear braces once and be done early...woohoo!

 

So, at ages 12.5 and 14.5, both girls are in braces and should be done in the spring!

 

 

I didn't read all the other posts, but read a few of the last ones and wanted to add some comments...

My oldest had an overbite that really affected her profile...it was definitely a cosmetic reason. I think my youngest had an open bite, it was cosmetic and physical. My youngest is also in a pre-professional ballet school, auditions for film/theater and hopes to be in musical theater at some point. She really needs that smile! ;) I do think society looks for that perfect toothy smile, but look at Keira Knightly...she said she thinks her teeth are "wonky" but it works for her.

Edited November 14, 2008 by Laura R (FL)

[EarleneW]

My 11 year old just got his on about a month ago. He will have them for about 3 years as he has 3 different thigns they are trying to correct. He only has them on the top right now. My 8 year old still has 13 baby teeth and will be reevaluated next summer. SHe will for sure need them, but we need to wait on more baby teeth to fall out.

[Donna]

I had braces put on when I was 28 or 29 years old and got them off a few months prior to having dd at 32! Three of my baby canines never came out so I had to have them pulled down with little chains attached to my braces which is why they were on so long.

 

My 12 yo started at the orthodontist when he was 10 years old. His baby teeth were crowded! He wore a palate extender for 18 months which did wonders for his mouth. He will only need braces for a very short time as a result but they are waiting for more baby teeth to come out before he gets the braces on.

[cillakat]

I didn't get braces until I was 14. Seems the age is getting younger and younger. Is that your observation? Do you think this increases the chances of needing to have braces again later?

 

Let me know what you think, please.

 

My dad is a dentist with additional training in orthodontics....I have lots of experience working in his office and discussing trends with him.

 

There was a move in the 80's to start orthodontia very early.....6,7,8 and to get braces on asap. The pendulum is swinging back again b/c when it's started very very early, various components of treatment needed to be redone all too often.

 

Now it seems that the evidence base only supports exceptionally early treatment in rare cases (crossbite being one of them)....and for extreme crowding, there is universal support (in the scientific literature) for pulling baby teeth as needed so that adult teeth will come more or less where they are supposed to.

 

The rest should be determined by readiness. I looked long and hard to find an ortho who followed *the evidence*....not the $$ (ie start 'em as young as possible) or their own personally held beliefs (they need to be '11' or they need to be '14' or whatever other ridiculous number).

 

Our ortho likes to wait until they're 10 simply for hygiene reasons....he finds that before that they just don't keep up with appropriate brushing/flossing around braces/appliances and it's problematic.

 

Anyhoo, my 9.5 yo is precocious wrt getting adult teeth. He's been following her for 1.5 years (we needed a spacer due to an early lost baby molar) and at her last visit, she was exactly 9y6m and he said she was ready to go....that we could wait till next spring, but then we'd have an additional issue b/c of canines that were coming in out of place (very). So we're starting now.....she'll have a palate expander (so did my brother and I.....we have HUGE teeth) and she'll need a couple extractions.

 

My dd 7 has had 4 baby teeth pulled since the adult teeth were coming in so far out of alignment that they wouldn't have pushed the baby teeth out. It totally worked. Her two bottom central incisors were coming in *one in front of the other* (like a shark!!;p). pulled the lateral baby incisors and wow!....the centrals lined up with in 5 days. it was amazing. we just did the next set to her adult lateral incisors could come in....sure enough, they moved from behind her teeth into their proper positions within 5 days and hopefully will continue to rotate into a straighter position.

 

She doesn't have the precociousness wrt teeth that her sister has, so she'll probably not be into serious treatment until she's 11 or 12....but she'll have had lots of extractions by then. Her treatment will likely be two stages. Earlier with expanders etc.....later with braces. Also, since her skull and jaw are small compared to her huge teeth (my teeth), there is hope that as she grows, things will change. She'll still be severely crowded and will need adult extractions, but it will look very different in 5 years v. how it looks now.

 

So in short, I'd say that other than starting most treatment very young (with rare exceptions for cross bites), most of the time it's about developmental appropriateness and less about a specific number.

 

All the best,

Katherine

Edited November 16, 2008 by cillakat

[cillakat]

"She told me to wait until my dd's permanent teeth were all in."

 

Yes and no. It depends on what the issue is and how significant the crowding is (assuming a class II malocclusion).

 

iirc, you want first and second bicuspids (erupt at 10-12 years usually, though my dd had hers by 9)....but other than that it depends on how bad the crowding is, where they are in terms of eruption (with x-rays too), where the canines are coming in, how many and which teeth might need to be pulled.....etc etc

 

:)

K