Braces: Protecting the Investment in Your Child's Teeth

My experience with an orthodontist

As a kid, I was extra lucky-not! I had double rows of baby teeth. When my mom took me to the dentist for my annual teeth cleaning when I was eight years old, he suggested she take me to an orthodontist.

The orthodontist looked at the x-ray records supplied by my dentist, and because my mouth was small, he recommended pulling several teeth (I think there were 17 of them). That way as the adult teeth grew in, they wouldn't be crowded, and forced to shuffle into any open spot available in my mouth. They call this interceptive treatment therapy.

My orthodontist put me in a retainer for a couple of years after the extra teeth were pulled to limit where the new teeth went.

Then when I was about eleven, and my adult teeth had come in, I was put into braces for about three years. When the braces came off, I was supposed to wear a retainer every night when I went to sleep to protect the investment (roughly 5,000 dollars) my parents had laid out for my beautiful smile.

Retainers

Two months into that phase, I went to bed one night, after taking the retainer out of my mouth because it was uncomfortable, and set the retainer on the floor by my bed. The next morning, jumping out of bed to shut off the alarm, I stepped on the retainer and cracked it.

I did not have the heart to tell my parents I had ruined it, and because I only had to wear the retainer at night, they did not know about it for several months. By the time I fessed up, my teeth had shifted enough to have to incur additional costs and molds. They gave up and told me I was on my own.

Fast forward to thirty years later, and obviously, without the retainer forcing my teeth in place each night, I have lost even more of the straightness my orthodontist perfected back then.

My teeth have shifted, but not so much that I would want to go back into braces. My smile is tolerable and I am grateful my parents went through the expense of forcing me into braces. To be sure, I did not want braces, and I hated the fact that I could not eat foods such as corn on the cob and gum that I loved. However, I also know that my professional experiences would not have been as easy or as rewarding, if my smile had been awkward or unappealing.Despite the fact that some people want to minimize this, looks do count when going for a job.

My kid's orthodontic story

My daughter was also born with a relatively small mouth. When I took her in for her cleanings at the dentist around age eight, he suggested that I take her to have some teeth pulled. I took her to a surgeon who removed not only a few baby teeth but also went under her gum line and removed an adult molar on each side of her lower mouth to allow room for growth for her other teeth, based upon the recommendation from her dentist and the x-rays he had.

She did not have to wear a retainer before her braces, and only had to wear her braces for two years. I had insurance fortunately, that covered the first $1500 of the bill. Her dad chipped in and together we paid the balance of the $3000. After a deposit of $500, it worked out to be a little bit over $100 a month for two years.

A few weeks before my daughter was due to come out of her braces, I called her orthodontist and related to him what had happened to me as a child. He laughed and told me the reality was most kids did not wear their retainers the way orthodontists recommended. I explained that because I had invested money in her braces, I wanted to know if there were alternatives to a retainer.

Cosmetic dental work

The doctor gave me some awesome advice. He told me her teeth would begin to shift in about eight hours, but if I coordinated with her dentist, I might be able to prevent a lot of the shifting if I would ask the dentist to do some cosmetic dentistry.

I did not really know what he meant so he explained.

As soon as the braces are removed, take her to the dentist the same day. Ask the dentist to build up her teeth where the gaps are, thereby reducing the empty space in her mouth between the teeth. He told me it would prevent them from moving significantly. Unfortunately, he also told me, most parents do not ask this question, and therefore, they are not aware of this option.

Having a beautiful smile makes a difference in a child's health as well as their self-esteem. It has been about ten years since my daughter had her teeth fixed, and she still has a beautiful smile. In fact, it looks the same as it did 10 years ago, which is exactly what I wanted.

Her cosmetic dentistry was not covered by insurance but it was around 500.00 for the dentist to build up a few teeth, and to me, seemed like the better way to go for the long haul. In my opinion, it is something that every parent should consider when investing in his or her child's smile. Coordinate with both the dentist and the orthodontist, and in fact, if you can manage it, get them on a teleconference so that everyone is on the same page. I am sure, like me, you will be glad you did.

Source:

Personal experience

For more on why orthodontic treatment is important, please see:

http://www.aaomembers.org/Press/Seven-Common-Questions-Parents-Have.cfm