Braces for your kid - experiences

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alank2

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Hi Everyone,

My son is 13 and we've been to the orthodontist's free evaluations a couple of times and they are recommending an entire plan of braces/teeth straightening/bite correction. It seems like a lot to go through, but I wonder if it is a fix it now or fix it later type of thing.

Any experiences with this type of thing positive/negative to report from my OSA friends?

Thanks,

Alan
 

easy

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Had them for three years. Hated it. But I 'look better' because of it. Usually makes it easier to brush and keep clean after they are removed.

"It's for the children!"
 

ARnut

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Fix it now. It is worth it in the long run for comfort. Another suggestion is see if they can do a permanent retainer ( wire behind the teeth).
 

Glock_21

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My son had them. It's expensive. Fix it now and they will have nice, straight, pretty teeth forever.

If you have the benefit of a Flexible Spending Account use it. It's kind of a pain in the ass as far as paperwork and documentation (at least it was for me) but you basically get to use tax free money for the orthodontist expenses.
 

Pokinfun

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Get them done at the same time lots of other kids he knows will have them.
I will say that I have a large filling on one molar, I chipped it a long time ago. My dentist is constantly trying to get me to have the tooth capped, he is in the cap business.
I had another dentist look at it, he said it was fine and even near in the category of needing a cap.
I would go to an independent dentist and have him checked.
 

tRidiot

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My son had them. It's expensive. Fix it now and they will have nice, straight, pretty teeth forever.

If you have the benefit of a Flexible Spending Account use it. It's kind of a pain in the ass as far as paperwork and documentation (at least it was for me) but you basically get to use tax free money for the orthodontist expenses.

That is a 30% off coupon right there - or more, in my case. Of course, I don't have a FLEX spending option. :( So I guess it "would be" a 30-40% off coupon.
 

Shoot Summ

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Wife works for an Ortho, she's been in that biz for 35 years. There are bite issues that can be resolved, but honestly it's mostly cosmetic, IMO. Then it becomes a discussion of not being the only child that hasn't had them, and has crooked teeth. My Mom skipped me on braces, I was self conscious about it for several years, then had braces in my 20's. I would rather do it in my teens...

Probably the biggest advantage of her literally working her fingers to the bone for 30+ years was free Ortho care for my us, and our kids.
 

JeffT

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I would recommend that you ask the dentist AND your child's pediatrician if your child's jaw and skull has finished growing yet. If they have not, I would recommend you wait until growth stops. We did not ask and wish we would have.
We had our daughter in braces from 12-15 and the "changes" did NOT stay. The dentist is now saying that she may need them again, if bite problems persist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

1911Sooner

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My daughter is 13 and just had hers put on last week. It is expensive but my wife and I both opted for the company dental plan which is cheap and are able to use both plans to off set the cost with almost cuts the bill in half.
 

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