What do you think about palate expanders in kids ortho?
My 8 year old is scheduled to get fitted for a palate expdander retainer, but I'm getting cold feet. She has crowding on the lower jaw--don't expanders only work on the top...?
My now 13 year old had an expander at 9 and my 10 year old has one now. They can be very helpful for kids with lots of crowding and a small mouth. You have to do it young, especially for boys. If you wait until the early teen years, the bones in the palate have become solid and can't be expanded without first breaking the bone. They make lower expanders too, although not as common as upper. Why are you having cold feet?
Well, cold feet first because on my first google I read that theyt are just for top crowding, and dd's is on bottom, so I got nervous. But maybe it is either a lower expander or going on the theory that the botton naturally expands along with the top.
And then, cold feet about the 1000$ it will cost. I could swallow that better if I could believe that it will save us money in the long run--but no sure thing that. Also, her main problem is not beng able to floss between reaaly reaaly crowded botton fronts--I hope that the expander will help this but it's hard to imagine, never having gone through it.
I guess I just want whats best for dd--the healthiest loveliest mouth with the least discomfort....
Our two girls have something called a Herbst (think i spelled it correctly) appliance in. It will be in for a year and then an additional year in braces and then smaller retainers after that. Our oldest son had the same treatment done years ago and his teeth are beautiful.
I'd have to look at their official diagnosis to see exactly what the various things are that the orthodontics are fixing.
It is expensive. If you count both girls, we've been through three children and have paid out of pocket. One more child to go.....
We have not regretted the expense (even though it did hurt a lot and we did give up other things for it) and it was/is worth it for our children in dh's and my opinion.
I do notice that opinions vary greatly regarding orthodontics in general.....
You'll make the best decision. Your post shows how much you care and are considering.....
You might want to get a second opinion too. We were given vastly different prices for orthodontics. We paid 2,500 for Blakes upper expander, lower holding arch and braces, which was a steal of a deal. Although I think the ortho felt sorry for us. Blake has to have 3 phases of braces, and this is only phase 1.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flamboozle
Have you tried any CranialSacralTherapy. Find someone who is qualified to do intra-oral work. That might be an alternative option or adjunct.
I was actually getting ready to mention a cranio path, because I talked to my chiro (also a pediatric Cranio path, only one in this area) about DS and next year, we will work with DS scull and try to get it taken care off 'thatta' way.
He said it has to do with the alignement of the scull plates (and he said it will also take care of DS ears sticking out).
Will it help your child in the long run? If she won't need braces then I would definitely think about doing it, if she will still need braces or the teeth that are crooked aren't noticeable when she smiles then I think there is more wiggle room on whether to get them or not.
A childs teeth not only effects their eating and breathing but also effects how they feel about themselves. My daughter suffered badly because her teeth were awful when her adult teeth came in and she had more of a buck toothed look. She had to wait till she was 12 to get her braces and other kids were so cruel. I wanted to get them before that but our dentist here wanted to wait till she had all her adult teeth so that way we wouldn't have to start over later on.
If it had been a spacing issue and all we had to do was get a spacer put in and the years of h.ell could of been avoided I would of done it in a heartbeat.
Also 1000.00 now is way more cheaper than 3500.00 later on. That is what we paid.
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Braces aren't just for crowding, crooked teeth, and self-esteem. I have very straight teeth, no crowding, and a TMJ problem I will have for the rest of my life b/c I didn't get braces as a teen for an overbite that isn't noticeable until pointed out. It gets more painful each year.
That said, dd's palate expander (top) was included in the cost of her braces. It is a total of $4200ish. Which was only a few hundred dollars more than her older brothers, and the same price as we just got quoted for her younger brother (who doesn't need an expander). Are you all saying the expander is NOT included in the overall price? Retainers are also included. Package deal.
Yes true, TMJ is another good reason on the get the spacers list, thank you. I am sure there are others but I didn't think to list them all. If I remember any more I will edit my post
I have TMJ and yes it does hurt, if your DD has a misalignment of her teeth/jaw that would cause this I would also get them for it. Because as she gets older it can cause some major issues.
Well, cold feet first because on my first google I read that theyt are just for top crowding, and dd's is on bottom, so I got nervous. But maybe it is either a lower expander or going on the theory that the botton naturally expands along with the top.
And then, cold feet about the 1000$ it will cost. I could swallow that better if I could believe that it will save us money in the long run--but no sure thing that. Also, her main problem is not beng able to floss between reaaly reaaly crowded botton fronts--I hope that the expander will help this but it's hard to imagine, never having gone through it.
I guess I just want whats best for dd--the healthiest loveliest mouth with the least discomfort....
Yours will only cost $1000?????????? My daughter's was over $3000 and that was with a military discount! Our ortho said it will help relieve the bottom crowding because the top ones sort of "hug" the bottom ones in. When you expand the top then the bottom can also expand on their own.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Erica
please elaborate...I've never heard of this!
He explained it in basic terms to me that the plates in a kids skull can be moved and the head can be re-shaped over a period of time and that the ears in my sons case were the result of the plates not being in the right position.
We are going to attempt this next year with tax return, so that we have the co-pay covered. He believes so much in this, that he decided NOT to be part of a network/insurance plan, because he does not want to conform to their standards.
Oh, and he was the only Doc I ever met who was extremely accepting to alternative medicine and very supportive of it.
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