7 year old getting braces??

Hi there, I am an orthodontic assistant and have been since 1998. A couple of previous posters were exactly right with the idea of "phase one" treatment. In most cases, Phase one is just that, it means there is a phase two. For the most part, it is up to personal preference, for instance if the child has a huge front gap that is affecting their self-esteem. At our office, we actually discourage it just for the sake of appearance bc the child will need full treatment later and there just isn't a need for it. Although, if it is done, I would suspect that the Dr. would subtract that amount from the full braces later, we do. On the other hand, sometimes small things can be done at an early age that may keep the child from ever needing full braces, such as if the child is a thumb sucker, the Dr. may give a habit reminder to stop the habit before it messes up the bite. Also, if a child has a 'cross bite', where the upper teeth bite inside of the lower teeth, this is MUCH easier to correct at a young age while the child is still growing. It is a very tricky problem to fix in adults. At our office we do very little 'phase one' when it is obvious there will be a phase two unless the parent/child really want it. We do however do habit reminders to stop thumb sucking and Palate Expanders to correct cross bite at an early age. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to help. Also, it is best for children to be seen by an orthodontist by age 5-9 bc an orthodontist can tell you at that point if there is something small that can help now and based on how many permanent teeth are in, how long it will be before they would get braces if they are needed. Every orthodontist that I know offers a free consultation visit so it shouldn't cost anything just to find out. Hope this helps :)

My Niece, Had her first set about 7. They used what they call palet expnders. I know that it seems contridictory for a mouth that has gaps but they might feel there is not enough room for the teeth yet to some. Her twin sister did not get her first set till 12 I guess every kids is different.

I have been recently reading and some people there were talking about "phase 1" of braces that was at a very early age

My youngest daughter got braces on the top teeth at 7 due to "space issues" She had a large gap between the two front, which we knew was hereditary because my husband and his grandmother both have it (his was corrected with ortho but hers was not) It corrected the issue, but she has to wear a retainer every night to keep them properly spaced while the others grow in. We also have to do retainer checks every six months to make sure it still fits with the new teeth growing in. The "early intervention" ortho costs about 1/2 what full blown braces cost, maybe even less than half. If there is not a bite issue, it can totally correct the problems and prevent further space issues as they grow in. This is what we were told by our ortho, who did full blown braces on our oldest when she was 12, and early intervention on both our younger girls. It made a big difference in their self-esteem, and it cost us a LOT less.

My husband ended up having braces twice, because he had a growth spurt after the first set were taken off and had to have oral surgery and more braces (through college) so the ortho for our son said we could wait. He has had various expanders and such since K. He will get actual braces when he quits growing. I would make sure to talk to other parents and get a second opinion. One of our previous orthos wanted him in early braces, but then we learned that he told 100% of his patients they needed braces right away and we found several parents whose kids had been in two sets of braces for over six years with him. So we moved on. Most are good and honest, but there are a few out there who are not.

Hey Hadley, My 9 year old Adaughter who is title iv and gets medicaid has been referred to an orthodontist. The orthodontist said it was not covered by medicaid. Do you think it could just be that particular Dr. does not accept medicaid, or we are in a different state than you, or that its not covered after adoption? She was adopted from foster care. We are in Indiana. Just wondering....I guess I will call medicaid and ask.

Thank you very much for the information! I have a 16 year who just got braces (they told us there was no rush) and an 11 year old who is going to need them very soon. It is good to hear an explanation of the differences! You actually made it clearer than my family ortho did.

Saj - our AD son came to us from foster care with braces on. Medicaid paid fully for his braces. Find another orthodontist.

I just did call Medicaid and its not covered for my Adaughter. Darn!

Chancey, I am going to get a second opinion before moving forward, but medicaid said no dice. This was really a great thread. Lots of good information. Thanks.

My sister got braces at 7 years old. I got mine when I was 9. Her teeth are still straight (at 25). Mine shifted and crowded when my wisdom teeth grew in. I had them removed, but the shifting didn't "reverse" so I could use braces again. After having braces, the teeth are more easily shifted with wisdom teeth coming in. Some people don't seem to be affected (my sister). Also, wearing the retainer for the rest of your life probably keeps them from moving much. When I had braces 20 years ago, they had me wear my retainer for about 6 mos and said I didn't have to wear it anymore. I think now they tell you to wear it "forever" at night.

I was told by my adoption SW to find out if the dentist would recommend braces for our kids, and to get all the details before we complete our adoption so coverage for orthodontics can be included in the adoption agreement. Medicaid does not pay for braces in my state. When I took them to the dentist, he did recommend braces for two of them, we haven't been to the ortho yet, but the dentist said he had never seen the state pay for braces on a child adopted out of foster care. Don't know if I just have a better SW than others may have, or if may get added benefit because adopting sibling group of four, or if it's just wishful thinking on my SW's part. But hopefully they'll come through and cover it.... I'm told it'll cost minimum of $5000 each.

The earlier the kid will have braces, the better. [URL="http://www.hygieneproductshopper.com/"]Dental hygiene[/URL] is very important these days specially to children. Having a good one takes time, effort and money. we should not take these matters for granted.

if all his milk has removed and have a permanent teeth its ok to have it now, or if you are not really sure consult other dentist and have a 2nd opinion. I have my son braced his teeth at the age of 9 and his teeth are very perfect im so happy with my dentist you can check them out here

Dear Community,Please know that there are oral habits in early childhood to help your children not get crooked teeth or malocclusion: such as teaching your child to breathe through the nose, and to not keep their mouths hanging open.For any considering braces for their children, I recommend that you be very cautious about accepting extractions of your children's teeth. Serious life-long health consequences have been correlated with premolar extractions.If you personally have had extractions, could you please take a minute to take this survey? It will help to get the exact percentage of those who have suffered the four common symptoms. Usually the symptoms develop in middle age. Thanks and all best!