[Twinkletoes]

When I was around 9, the orthodontist removed my canine? teeth to make more room in my smallish mouth. My teeth then came in nice and straight and there was no need for braces.

Now my little grandson looks like he might benefit from the same procedure. Do they still perform this extraction as a preventative measure?

He lives in another state and I think his parents need to act immediately if it is to be done. But they are worried about $$$$, so are reluctant. I have him at my house for the next week, so maybe I could do something to help.

Thanks for any help/advise you can offer.

[Bryanna]

Hi Twinkletoes,

Orthodontics are very complicated. Yes, sometimes they do still remove teeth if their is not enough room for all of them to fit properly in the mouth. However, I'll try to explain this in laymans terms for a clearer understanding........ The removal of a canine tooth may not always be the best thing to do because those teeth are considered the cornerstone of the arch and when they are removed, the support system for all of the other teeth is weakened. Some people do fairly well without these teeth, but many do not.

Sometimes, depending on the individual case, the second premolars are removed and the other teeth are brought into alignment. These teeth are not as significant to the overall stability of the mouth as the canines are.

I think it is important to seek at least 2-3 ortho consultations before doing any dental treatment. You will find that you will probably get varying opinions but it's an education process to help decide what is best for your grandson.

I hope this info was helpful........let me know if you have any other questions and how your grandson makes out!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by Twinkletoes

When I was around 9, the orthodontist removed my canine? teeth to make more room in my smallish mouth. My teeth then came in nice and straight and there was no need for braces.

Now my little grandson looks like he might benefit from the same procedure. Do they still perform this extraction as a preventative measure?

He lives in another state and I think his parents need to act immediately if it is to be done. But they are worried about $$$$, so are reluctant. I have him at my house for the next week, so maybe I could do something to help.

Thanks for any help/advise you can offer.

[Curious]

hi twink

lil'monkey has baces. 2 of my other kids have had them too.

i had molars removed for the same reason as you. my kids had pallette spreaders put in. well, bubbamonkey had the lower one put in, not upper.

it slowely widens so htere is more room for teeth.

in lil'monkey's case ( i can show you her before pictures) it was a remarkable differende. she does has a severe underbite that my other kids do not have. we did , well she did, opt to have 4 molars removed this spring instead of jaw surgery.

most ortho's give a free evalution. go to a few of them.he is still pretty young. he hasn't had his major growth yet. lol...that man jaw line yet.

*sigh* if they don't have dental insurance. it it very expensive. lil'monkey's mouth has cost about $6500.

[Twinkletoes]

Thanks Bryanna and curious!

I guess I hadn't looked upon the extractions as a judgment call. Thought it would be more like getting your wisdom teeth removed -- more of a "given."

Thank you both for your insight.

I have a dental appt. for myself tomorrow, so I'll be asking the dentist. Guess he must have had some sort of ortho training, as I know he does braces.

Which brings up another question: should I trust this doc or take grandson to a real orthodontist?

[Curious]

ortho.

even our dentist who is awesome, says ortho is a specialty. they know more about that than a dentist.

but do go for more than one opinion. we took lil'monkey to one that said he tooth would never be straight unless she had the jaw surgery.

before she got the pallette spreader, she didn't even have a thumbs width in her pallette. you have seen her pictures..nice wide smile.

[Taffy]

Always go to an Orthodontist. They have had more years of training in this area.

[SandyC]

We waited to get Nik's braces until he was in high school. Some think we should have done it earlier but our dentist suggested waiting until he grew into his teeth. We are glad we waited because Nik grew to 6'3" with a very chisled jaw line. He had plenty of room and still has his wisdom teeth. He wore his braces for three years and is doing great. It really is a judgement call in the long run.

Many orthodontist have payment plans too Twinks. We paid $113 a month for three years. This covered all visits, braces, repairs and follow ups after the braces were removed and a retainer was placed.

[Curious]

we waited on my son and daughter too sandy. both got them off their senior year.

with lil'monkey, since she needed so much expanding on the top, starting while she was/IS still growing was recommended. with girls they should stop growing sooner than boys. start earlier too.

yeppers...did the payment plan with hers. with the other 2 thankfully my x's insurance covered most.

[Twinkletoes]

Thanks for your responses everyone!

Yes, I'm all too familiar with ortho payment plans: had 3 kids in braces at the same time! Ugh!

[Bryanna]

Hi Twinkletoes,

No two ortho cases are alike, not even with twins!

The thing with removing the canines is a bit riskier than the premolars because as I said, these are anchor teeth for the alignment of the rest of the quadrant. It is almost impossible to line up a bite properly once the canines are gone. Then again, some people will have a problem and others won't.

Some general dentists also do ortho work, but only limited cases, nothing extensive. They do not have the training that an orthodontist does at all!! It is best to seek several opinions before pulling any teeth or going into braces.

The problem with waiting til the child is older to do ortho is that the bone is much more dense in teenagers and older people than it is in younger children which makes it harder for the teeth to move as quickly. If the case is rushed in any way, the teeth could die (at any time in the future) from the trauma of the movement. Some cases need to wait for certain growth issues, but most of the time it is advantageous to do ortho when the children are younger and still growing. A well trained orthodontist can estimate the growth pattern of the child through different means and this helps to determine the right time to do ortho.

Let us know how things go!!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by Twinkletoes

Thanks Bryanna and curious!

I guess I hadn't looked upon the extractions as a judgment call. Thought it would be more like getting your wisdom teeth removed -- more of a "given."

Thank you both for your insight.

I have a dental appt. for myself tomorrow, so I'll be asking the dentist. Guess he must have had some sort of ortho training, as I know he does braces.

Which brings up another question: should I trust this doc or take grandson to a real orthodontist?