Orthodontists and braces

I am just staring the process of going to an orthodontist, due to a recommendation by our dentist for my daughter. The orthodontist recommended an expander now- cost $1800- and braces around $5000-$7000at age11-13. My question is - what is the benefit of an expander? She told me it helps teeth from being impacted, however most kids still need some teeth extracted and my daughter will still need braces after the expander.

Why not just wait for braces?

Can anyone give me any Info on this topic? TIA!!

 

Did you ask the orthodontist that question?

 

My 10 year old just got an expander 5 weeks ago. From what I have heard from people, most everyone gets an expander, which is phase 1, before braces. Generally braces is phase 2 for most people. My DD happens to have a cross bite, so that is why she is getting an expander. But I have heard expander aren't just for cross bites. But an expander does just that, expands the upper jaw, it helps push the bones apart to create an even bite. She did need to get 2 teeth pulled for her expander. The bones bones can be expander until about age 12 (in girls) I was told by our orthodontist.

We were told my DD would most likely need braces in about 2 years as well. From what I have heard it's almost certain that braces are needed after an expander, the expander does not fix everything, just alignment.

Not sure how much help I was, but that is what we were told and have heard from others going through the wonderful world (kidding of course) of braces!


And if that is the total price for the expander that's pretty good. That is less than our total cost (and by that I am including what insurance pays as well)>

 

I agree...that is a great price!! We are paying $3700 for our first phase of braces. We were originally told my 8 yr old would need an expander. Then when the teeth came in that needed to we found he needed actual braces with brackets top and bottom. Which he has now. He will go to phase II in a couple years.

The expander is supposed to (from what I understand) cut back on the need for pulling so many teeth. When we were growing up, the orthodontists just pulled out teeth to make room. Now, they have realized that the top of the mouth bones don't fuse until the age of (I think)12 or so. So they can expand the jaw to fit the teeth and then once they come in they can line them up properly. We wondered how much was a scam and how much was necessary. We still wonder if we did the right thing by putting them on. I have had so many friends with kids who have expanders.

 

My DDs are not old enough for orthodontia, but both my sister and best friend had expander/braces. I was told to get both and did neither--- below are our experiences.


Sister-- expander/braces. Still has to wear a retainer 10 yr later after teeth started to shift after 4 yr of no braces. Had an underbite- corrected w/ bands not the expander. Expander changed her face and she is convinced it widened her upper jaw (it did!) and made her facial features different that they would be w/o it. Wishes she never got the expander- glad for the braces to fix overbite. Never had teeth pulled except bottom wisdom teeth (expander was on the top- she had no top wisdom teeth at all) so would have needed them pulled regardless.

Best friend---- both. Now at 30 she needs braces again/invisalign to correct the 'over expansion' of her top jaw and creating a gap in her two front teeth that is widening, started at age 25 or so and gotten worse every year. Still wears a retainer to align lower teeth. HAd all 4 wisdom teeth pulled, but no others.

Self- told to get both. Got neither. NEver had anything pulled except lower wisdom teeth (no upper ones ever). Top teeth very nice and straight after dentist told me they would not be w/o braces/expander. Bottom teeth - front faintly crooked, but not seen due to the way I smile. No crowding issues that I was told I would get.

Just the experiences I knew about. My brother also had braces---and nice teeth as a teen, but again- they shifted a bit as an adult and they look nice, but dont look like thousands on braces spent to straighten them!


No of us had horribly crooked teeth to start with.


I would think I would call around and/or get another opinion if you have concerns.

I think orthodontia is needed in some cases and is excellent way to correct bites and alleviate possible chewing problems-- but also I think for some things, it may prove to be useless (slightly crooked teeth) as your mouth changes even as an adult (hence my friend having a gap in her front teeth now from over-expansion as a teen) and mine teeth being fine after being told I will have crooked teeth as an adult if I dont fix them asap.

 

We're about to have an expander and braces put on just top front 4 teeth for my 8yo, and something else on the bottom. It'll be about $3600 and then 1/2 of that will get credited toward phase 2 when he's 12-13. If we were to just do the expander, it'd be $1800, I think (but they still credit 1/2 toward phase 2). His teeth are a mess though, and starting to get a bad crossbite because of it.

 

You might look into the Damon system. My 13 yo had her first set of braces (just the front four, top & bottom) in 3rd grade. Her teeth were ridiculously crooked, and within 3 months they were straight & there was NO pain. She wore that set for about 9 mos, and it was 3800. She got the second set in 6th grade, when the rest of her perm teeth came in. Again, they straightened up sooo fast! The second set was 5800. As messed up as her teeth were, traditional braces would have been a little cheaper, but more painful (expander & probably still extraction)l -- and the results wouldn't have been so quick.

 

My son gets his braces in three weeks..ack..but we were told that expanders were not necessary for him. He has plenty of room, thank goodness, but his problem is that you can not see his bottom teeth when he closes his mouth (so I guess an overbite although you really could never tell it). I wish they had expanders when I had braces, then maybe I would not have had four teeth pulled. I still regret that because having those pulled really did change the shape of my mouth, IMO.

 

We were told that our one daughter at 7yrs old needed an expander because her pallet was small and wouldn't fit all her teeth (she was also still missing her two front top teeth when he said this). We were told to come back when she turns 8 and when her teeth come in. We haven't been back yet but we will be getting a second opinion. Her teeth have come in and they are straight so we aren't sure what we are going to do. I never had the expander but my sister did. We were told though that if she does get the expander that she MAY NOT need braces also but we would have to wait and see. We have no insurance so we would also be paying everything out of pocket so these prices are really scaring me right now.

 

My oldest DD had an expander. That is out now and she wears a wafer retainer. She needs that 24 hours (except eating) for six months and then only at night for 6 months to a year. She had an overbite and crowed teeth. She may not need braces in the future because of the expander. We will have to see.

On the bottom she has braces because she had an impacted lower incisor. The braces created room and then we had to go to an oral surgeon to expose the tooth and attach a chain to it. The chain is attached to her braces and is slowly pulling the tooth up and out.

For the expander and the bottom braces we have paid $2305. The oral surgeon was separate.

I did not have an expander but I did have braces. I had to have some teeth pulled for that. I have not had any trouble with anything shifting after I quit wearing my retainer.