Would you have braces put on your child right now?

[mommyoffive]

Would you have braces put on your child right now?  Is anyone in this situation?  

[Terabith]

No, I wouldn't.  

[bolt.]

It would depend on the prevalence of infection in my area right now.

It would also depend on the urgency: is there a reason this month is *significantly* better than next month? This year better than next year?

And also on the precautions of the office.

With all of those factors, with my kids, in my location: I'd wait.

(If I was rural or otherwise in a not-yet-very-affected area, I might go ahead. It might actually be a 'sooner the better' scenario in some places) (If I was running out of insurance, or running out of childhood, it might also change my mind.)

[catz]

Absolutely not.  I have a kid in braces right now.  We had to shift out when both my kids started braces for various reasons with no apparent downside.  Probably putting off my young adult’s wisdom tooth extractions too. 

Edited June 27, 2020 by FuzzyCatz

[mommyoffive]

What does shift out mean with braces?

Edited June 27, 2020 by mommyoffive

[Teaching3bears]

We're waiting.

[Sneezyone]

Nope. It's a pain in the butt right now just trying to figure out how much we can get done before the next spike.

[Shoeless]

Nope. Not after our near-miss covid exposure at the dentist. DH was supposed to go last Monday. That night, the hygienist didn't feel well. She was tested the next day and was positive for covid. The entire staff is on quarantine now, Apparently, they have only been masking for procedures and take them off when no patients are in the room, or when having lunch together in the break room. 

So, nope. No dental procedures for awhile, unless a dire emergency.

Edited June 27, 2020 by MissLemon

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, MissLemon said:

Nope. Not after our near-miss covid exposure at the dentist. DH was supposed to go last Monday. That night, the hygienist didn't feel well. She was tested the next day and was positive for covid. The entire staff is on quarantine now, Apparently, they have only been masking for procedures and take them off when no patients are in the room, or when having lunch together in the break room. 

So, nope. No dental procedures for awhile, unless a dire emergency.

 

WOW. Just...so irresponsible.

[Shoeless]

1 minute ago, Sneezyone said:

 

WOW. Just...so irresponsible.

 

They have pics all over FB of them sharing birthday cake at an office lunch.  It is baffling, but this is Texas, the land of magical thinking.

[maize]

I'd been planning braces for this year and set money aside in a limited-use FSA for it. My kids have evaluations next week.

At this point I am still planning to go forward, we lose the money if we don't use it and it can only be used for dental or vision stuff. 

[vonfirmath]

27 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Would you have braces put on your child right now?  Is anyone in this situation?  

No. We have a routine "check" at the orthodontist that has already been rescheduled once.. and I want to reschedule again now.

(The orthodontist is checking as her teeth come in)

[EmilyGF]

Depends. DD had two rows of grown up teeth in her mouth. There was a possibility that the back grown up teeth would cause the front ones' roots to dissolve. I would have gotten her braces put on now.

For the other 95%? Nope.

[Spryte]

No.  Not unless it was a dire emergency (like EmilyGF).  I’m glad we finished braces just in time, or we’d be postponing.

We are postponing vision therapy, too.  Which pushes back the date DS can get his driver’s license, so it’s a bummer.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Spryte

[prairiewindmomma]

Only if there were structural issues (like jaw alignment) that needed to be handled now or consequences would happen later

Dd was due to go into braces this fall when ds’s came off...and that is not happening. We will re-evaluate next summer. 

[rebcoola]

Yes we did last week.  We have to use the funds and her issue is one that will continue to get worse.   

[lovinmyboys]

I’m not planning to. My oldest needs them, but I think it can wait. I was supposed to take him for his first visit when everything shut down. I’m hoping it can be put off for a year.

[BusyMom5]

Last week I would have answered no way.  This week my kids teeth are hurting.   Hes been watched the last 2 years, we know he will need an expander and have been waiting until the right time.  As of now he is missing all 4 canines, no room for them, but one is coming in and pushing out his other teeth.  He does have the bigger tooth behind the canines in, it's just those 4 that have no room but are starting to come in anyway.  So- if we weren't having issues I would not, but if your kid is having issues, then maybe?  Our cases are low.  

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Our daughter got braces on in March (just before the shutdown), and has had one follow-up appointment. They are being hypervigilent with precautions, and I'm not concerned at all. 

[Ausmumof3]

No we’re waiting.  That said ds really doesn’t want to right now, his dental hygiene is average in general and I had adult braces so I’m not against him doing it a bit later anyway, with a bit more maturity there more chance of not doing damage to teeth with improper brushing and cleaning.

[mathnerd]

We will wait until CV19 situation gets better (don't even know what that means at this point). My son did not want to even before CV19, so he is ok with the wait. I don't want him in enclosed spaces even with masked dental professionals because there is some patient just 10 feet away with mouth open undergoing a procedure most of the times that we have been in to the dentist.

[PeterPan]

If the dc needs two stage braces (like really needs), then waiting would be unwise. There are windows they look at for braces, with age 8 for the stage 1 and age 12 for the stage 2. My ds will be coming up on that 2nd window. We did stage 1, including a palate expander, so at this point I don't think there's a lot of harm in fudging a year on stage 2, which was mainly for tidying. We did the worst of it heading off major problems by doing the stage 1. But if your dc is looking at a stage 1 and needs an expander or significant things, the problems that happen by *waiting* can be much worse than what you're risking with the virus. In that case, I'd go forward and hope for the best. There are orthodontist practices that have individual rooms. I don't think we can completely escape every risk. 

Fwiw, we didn't realize how hard my dd's orthodontic issues were going to be and waited. The difference between catching it early and later is $$$$ surgery, unfortunately. Our dentist had underestimated the degree of the problems going on and every orthodontist we saw said the same thing at that point. 

 

[Guest]

Not unless the corrections were major and we can’t really afford to wait. 

My youngest could use a small correction to close up a gap but I’m not bothered enough about it to go through it at the moment. 

[mlktwins]

Nope!  I have one that is close to done and 1 that has about a year left on his.  Very much wish we weren’t in a position right now to complete the work 😩.

[Acorn]

We will wait with one child. At the moment it would  only be cosmetic reasons anyways. The other child is supposed to have a consult for wisdom teeth removal but the dentist wasn’t sure the surgeon would remove them now. I don’t know if I should wait then.

[historically accurate]

I have one in braces now - they're set to come off in a couple of months. I've finished paying for that set, so I was all set to get my youngest's braces. Braces kid has had one appointment post Covid, and I was ok with the precautions, but no appointment is foolproof. I've decided to wait for the youngest. It just doesn't seem like a good idea right now.

[Junie]

We actually did get dd13's braces put on in May, but I'm not sure when I'll take her for a follow-up appointment.

Dd17 was due to get her braces off in April.  When we found out that she would be working on her college campus out of state starting in June, we decided to get her braces off since she won't be home again until Christmas.  Since we were already going to be at the orthodontist, we took dd13 at the same time to get her braces put on.  We decided that the risk of two patients at the orthodontist was not really much different than one.

 

[Guest]

No, and it is frustrating in that DD is supposed to be done in September, but has only had one appointment since Feb-we went in as soon as the office reopened, which was when numbers were fairly low, but now they are up again, and her ortho is back to only seeing emergencies. I definitely wouldn't start the process now, because it might be 6 months before the next appointment can safely happen. 

[teachermom2834]

I would if there was any semi compelling reason to but if there was zero to small problem waiting I would wait. My dd has had two follow up appointments during this and I have been comfortable with those. Just jumping in with my "I would" for balance in replies even though I don't have strong feelings or really good reasoning.

I have been middle of the road I guess on closures and exposure. I am cautious but still doing some things while declining to do others. I'm less cautious than most on this board but more cautious than those I know in real life. 

Some of my reasoning, which surely isn't scientific, is that there are just so many unknowns with the future. This has kind of reminded me how little control we have even though we plan things out in life. So, we have chosen to continue on with some things and not others. If the timing was good otherwise (financial, etc.) I very well might do it. My dd is self conscious about her teeth and even that might be a good enough reason while we are all struggling to get through this time.  I've come to a point in life where I think of how many unknowns the future will bring. I realize it is totally pessimistic but I do think things like "might as well do it now while Dad is employed" or "might as well do it now...two years from now we might be dealing with some kind of serious illness". Super dark but as I get older I do think of getting things wrapped up while dh and I are healthy and not dealing with cancer or whatever. It also seems important to mental health in our family to be moving forward at least on some things during this time. So, at least getting the braces dealt with would feel like progress.

That is all rambling but I guess I have had enough go wrong in my life that if everything else was in a good place for it, I might do it not knowing what other than the pandemic would complicate it in the future. On a lighter note, there will be way less junk food eating opportunities during this. We have no trouble avoiding sugar, etc at home but once all the outside activities get rolling it is much harder. 

I think the pandemic is plenty good reason to wait. But, if you decided to go forward, I don't think you are crazy. 

[PeterPan]

25 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

No, and it is frustrating in that DD is supposed to be done in September, but has only had one appointment since Feb-we went in as soon as the office reopened, which was when numbers were fairly low, but now they are up again, and her ortho is back to only seeing emergencies. I definitely wouldn't start the process now, because it might be 6 months before the next appointment can safely happen. 

There's a lot of logic to this! Just for op, I'll go back to a phase 1, palate expander situation. The way the palate expander works, they give you a goal like turn x number of times every so often for a period of time. After that it's a holding thing where they just let it stay and stabilize till everything re knits. So in this kind of situation, where it's just measured and you do it at home and then wait 3-6 months, the delayed appts might be less problematic. But on something like braces, every time you go in they change a wire which then continues the process. So yes, you're kind of stuck if you can't get those wire changes. 

In reality, is there any appetite for complete shut downs again? I don't think so. But who knows. 

So if you do the initial consult and get the xrays, you can see what they're proposing. Then you can just flat ask what happens if delays happen. But it can be nuanced like this, where it depends on what they're trying to do. I would at least do the initial appointment and get the xrays and see what they're proposing.

Edited June 27, 2020 by PeterPan

[....]

We did.  We couldn't wait until she was any older - she's already 15 and needed a palate expander.  *shrug*. So far, so good.

[StephanieZ]

Hell to the no. Wait a year. It'll be fine. If there's some urgent need for one or two procedures/visits this year to keep things stable, fine. But, committing to monthly medical visits? Forget it unless there is no other medically appropriate alternative that allows for waiting. 

[RootAnn]

If we had a compelling medical reason, I'd consider it. I have one that has been doing prep work for years, just waiting for all the baby teeth to come out before getting them on.  I think he has one baby tooth left, but none of us is in a hurry now.

My college girl is supposed to get her wisdom teeth out. We're post-poning that (again). Still considering if she'll go in to get her teeth cleaned while she's here before school restarts.

[Runningmom80]

No. My oldest was supposed to start in March and we delayed. My Youngers have retainers and we've been doing virtual (emailing pics) 

 

It's funny, because just 2 weeks ago I was considering it, but I'm back to definitely no. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Fwiw, the questions that I asked are:

1. Are you using HEPA filters?

2. Do you use high volume evacuators when you need to drill off a bracket? Are those high aerosol procedures done in a separate area from the general treatment room?

3. How long do you reuse N95s for? Are you shielding over the masks? 

4. Are you having patients do a mouth rinse before each treatment session?

5. What is your cleaning procedure between patients?

 

[alisoncooks]

My DD is midway through her braces. Her ortho opened back up about a month ago, with many precautions. I've felt fine with it; as a family, we're fairly low-risk. 

[hippiemamato3]

We will probably get DD's put on before the end of the year. We are in a low numbers state for COVID and most people are wearing masks and socially distancing in public. Her braces are only for mild cosmetic reasons, but we will still do them. 

[Roadrunner]

I took my kids for a routine cleanup yesterday. 😱 It was the first appointment of the day, so hopefully all was disinfected. Now I feel silly. 

[slackermom]

Probably wouldn't start now. Fortunately my 15 yo got their braces removed on February 29th! We got a clear retainer that day, and were supposed to come back in a few weeks for the palate-molded retainer, but that didn't happen. We go to a dental school for our dental care, and the clinic announced on March 13 that they were shutting down everything but emergency care. They were supposed to "reopen" this week, still for emergency/urgent care, and after that they will prioritize "any disease that might progress and cause risk if left untreated." Braces are a ways off for their clinic.

 

[Tenaj]

I am not starting my 12yods now.  We try to do one kid at a time so we've had him in a holding pattern for a while.  15yods would have probably had his off by now in normal times.  The office is back open but all backed up and he can't get in until July.  I'm expecting that if our numbers continue up that one might get cancelled, too.

[school17777]

Middle dd got braces this past Wed.  The timing was planned back in December so she’ll be out of braces before she graduates from college.  

She goes every 6 weeks for adjustments.  

Their procedures for Covid seem reasonable and it is what it is.

[mom2scouts]

No, DD was supposed to make an ortho appointment, I put it off, and now there's no way we're going to start that.

[Ali in OR]

I think it would depend on the child's mouth issues and the virus situation in your area. My kids have been done with braces for a few years, but youngest's first stage to correct an overbite was important to start when her jaw was actively growing, so that one i would not have delayed. We have our first dentist appointment since last summer this week (we were due in March). We'll check youngest's wisdom teeth then. If they're like her sisters, we may go ahead and get them removed this summer. Our numbers have been rising, but I think it will be worse in fall and winter. Our cumulative case number is still lower than 100 in our county, just over 8k in state (cumulative--less than Florida had just today).

[melmichigan]

We are waiting.  Our company is talking about making exceptions on the FSA accounts for this year.

[73349]

I think I'd delay if he didn't already have them, since it wasn't urgent.

In addition to the risks in the office, you might look at whether you have any concerns about diet: a lot of easy foods to get (crunchy raw vegetables, popcorn, rice cakes, dried fruit, whole apples) are off the table for the duration of treatment. If your area is still experiencing, or experiences again in the future, challenges with other food availability (frozen vegetables? meat or dairy products?), your options are limited further. (We have other restrictions as well, and so a whole lot of life is about what we can and will all eat.)

[LarlaB]

Both of my kids are in braces and have been in for 2 appointments each since they reopened.  The office will only see one child or siblings at a time, take temperature, have me sign a health form each visit, lots of sanitizing, all staff in masks 24/7 and separate exit/entrance.

So yes, I would do it.  I am low anxiety with COVID and in our home, we aim to continue to live life as best we can with all reasonable precautions in place.

ETA DD16 works at Target 30 hours a week and DH had to pick up a 3 day a week Amazon delivery partner job since our small business was devastated by Covid. They wear masks to work but are high contact with the world- somebody has to LOL but YMMV

Edited June 30, 2020 by LarlaB

[Katy]

Our pediatrician doesn't even want us to take the kids in for their routine doctor appointments. 

Plenty of people get braces as adults and their mouths turn out just fine.  Unless it was some extraordinary situation I would wait.

[Sammish]

DS had braces put on in January, and I am very thankful that we decided to go with Invisalign instead of traditional braces. They give you a box of braces that you switch each week, so he was able to keep making forward progress through all of this. We went to see the orthodontist for the first time since getting them just two weeks ago. and then again Monday. Now we don't have to see him for three months. Our ortho is being very good - masks, extra face shields, patients rinse with a peroxide solution at the beginning of appointments, only one other patient in each time we went it, and they were at opposite ends of the office. Plus we're in CT, and our numbers are good and getting better.

With all that being said... no, I wouldn't choose to have DS start braces right now. Why add extra risk factors if you don't have to?