cin Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Took my girls to the dentist this morning. OH MY is close to what went through my head (well, after I saw $$$$$$). DD6's permanent teeth will probably come in behind her baby teeth. Her baby teeth are wedged together pretty tight, in a v-shape. He said that in about 12 mos, we will be going to see an orthodontist so he can tell us WHICH teeth will need to be pulled. THEN we will be off to the oral surgeon for extractions. The dentist said it will probably be *3* extraction visits. After that, he looked in dd3's mouth. He looked at me with a big grin and said, I see more of the same in her mouth....and to think...I was worried about BRACES!!!!! On the bright side, the dentist and the oral surgeon we will be using are both homeschool dads. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I have two brothers who went through this... it wasn't that horrible -- extractions are actually the cheapest part of the process (not that they don't add up -- but the major cost is in the sleeping gas, we haven't seen a huge difference from 2 extractions to 4 extractions.) They will most likely pull the 2yo molars top and bottom. If that isn't enough, they may pull the 6yo molars as well. The 2yo are pretty easy to get out and not as difficult to get over -- but the bigger the tooth, the bigger the hole! I have one brother that lost just the 2yo, and one who lost the 2yo and the 6yo. both had their wisdom teeth out. Only one child in my family escaped any tooth issues (my older brother). He has 100% of his teeth in and still beautifully straight. Cost of braces will depend on where you live, type and length of time expected to be in braces. It was $2500 when I was a child -- today, more like $5k, but insurance may cover 50% of that. It's small comfort -- but take heart in the fact that the treatment plan you're expecting is extremely common. Now, my tooth issues are HUGE. $2500 braces #1, $500 on 5 extractions, $3,000 on 3 implants, $7,000 on TMJ surgery and removal of 3 implants, $5000 on braces #2, and $4,000 on 3 implants/crowns. My mouth costs more than my car! I'm missing 9 teeth. Only five are of concern. They are all on my top jaw -- and the span is too great for a traditional bridge. Plus, as all of the neighboring teeth are caries free (no cavities), no dentist would dare tear my few remaining adult healthy teeth. Oh, and insurance has covered $0 of this. My story should make you feel a little better.:rolleyes: My oldest went to the ortho today for his consult. He's only missing one permanent tooth (don't know about the wisdom teeth yet), and it's a 2yr molar. So course of action is to have the dentist put a sealant on it, and treat it like a permanent tooth until he is good & grown (around 25), at which time he'll go through the pull it and replace with an implant. Total projected cost for my son $4,000 (including braces). I was sooo relieved! Of course, I have 3 more behind Christopher.... and My daughter is already crowded. I expect to see lots of extractions in her future. She's losing four teeth to grow in 2 right now. We won't know if she's missing teeth until her consult next year. If any of our children have MY problem, the treatment plan is pretty extensive (from about age 8 until about age 18 -- and in braces of one sort or another the entire time!) I'm praying we don't have any $20k mouths to worry about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 It sounds like your girl's mouths are pretty small. Are the extractions he's talking about for some of the adult teeth once they are in? My dd6's permanent teeth are coming in behind her baby teeth. I call her a shark! Once her baby teeth came out her permanent teeth moved up to the front of her mouth on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 :D My DD looked like a shark with her teeth overlapping at eight. Such large teeth! We went for the extraction of eight baby teeth and four adult teeth ( Two separate visits over a two year period of time.) to make room for DD's monster teeth, and braces are still in the future--wisdom teeth??? Baby teeth extraction is a quick, awake procedure with a fast recovery time. DD was out playing baseball with her brother the same afternoon. At 10, the adult teeth extraction was a big deal. It took her three or four days to recover. We waited a bit too long for one of the adult teeth and it turned sideways forcing the surgeon to cut in deep to her gum. Afterwards, the emerging adult teeth moved down and into place within a week of the adult teeth extraction. Amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted February 21, 2008 Author Share Posted February 21, 2008 It sounds like your girl's mouths are pretty small. Are the extractions he's talking about for some of the adult teeth once they are in? My dd6's permanent teeth are coming in behind her baby teeth. I call her a shark! Once her baby teeth came out her permanent teeth moved up to the front of her mouth on their own. I'm not sure, I think some of the baby teeth will have to be extracted, and several of the permanent teeth. The girls are both from Southern Asia, and he said that the small mouth is common in that area. If they still lived there, the hygiene is such that eventually a few teeth would fall/rot out and there would be room for everything. >sigh< She will be put to sleep for the extractions. SHe is a very skittish, fearful child, and since there will be several teeth each time, DH and I think that will be the best thing. Thanks for your encouragement, I really appreciate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Sometimes I feel like we are appeasing the dental god. My 11 has a full set of braces and my 8yr old is on her second appliance for space maintainance. We have had lots and lots of dental visits. I am not sure why you need an oral surgeon. Our pediatric dentist and now our family dentist has done all our work for us. I dont have much to offer except sympathy/empathy and encouragement. We go to the dentist tomorrow - I might be posting requests for encouragment then!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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