DD had her consultation with an orthodontist yesterday. Dr Ron (as he prefers to be called) and his staff are great. They were nice and friendly. They even had a welcome sign for Abby to welcome her to the practice.
We discussed getting DD started on an expander. Her mouth is just too narrow and things are way too crowded. Even though she's 8, she hasn't lost many baby teeth. It's normal for her since she was a late bloomer getting teeth when she was young. Braces will be down the road. Dr Ron is thinking around 11 or 12 once more of her baby teeth are gone.
Does anybody have any kind of experience with this? Is it painful? What should I expect? I got over the sticker shock yesterday, so I don't feel quite so sick to my stomach today. I just can't believe some plastic with a screw is that much money! (I say that sarcastically because I know the fee includes office visits and the piece is made specifically for her mouth.)
Thanks for the info.
Quoting teri4lance:
My son has the palatte expander. We screwed it once a day for 2 weeks. He said it hurt some but mires it was pressure and made his nose feel funny. We would give him a Tylenol before his shower, then do the screw, then he would go to bed. That way he slept thru any discomfort. He gets the expander out in a couple months and then I guess its s retainer till his adult teeth come in.
I realized last night that by the time DD gets thru her teeth things, DS will be ready to start. There's 6 years difference between them.
Quoting STKsMomma:
Ahhhhh I fell your pain. I don't have any experiance with this but I have a feeling that we will have many ortho appts in our future also.
We have to go down this route.... what is the damage so I can start getting ready for the cost.....?
Sorry if this scares you.
The consultation was free. The next step is diagnostics. That is $385. It is extensive x-rays, measurements, and molds. Then we get to the expander. The course of treatment is for approximately a year. The fee covers the office visits and the expander. That is $1980.
Down the road is braces, but we won't know for sure what that is going to entail since DD still has a lot of baby teeth to lose before we get there. Dr Ron is guesstimating that will be 3 - 4 years down the road.
From what I can tell, our dental insurance has orthodontic coverage for $1000 lifetime. $1000 doesn't seem like much when we're already close to $2400 and that doesn't count if we have to do a 2nd expander or more than 1 set of braces like I know some families have had to do. Tooth extraction also isn't covered by this. So far, one baby tooth is going to have to come out because it didn't fall out and the adult tooth is behind it.
Quoting mom22tumblebugs:We have to go down this route.... what is the damage so I can start getting ready for the cost.....?
We did. One was downright crazy and the other was way overpriced for what he wanted to do in her mouth.
We settled on the practice because he's about the mouth being the gateway to some other issues. For example, DD snores and has seasonal allergies. The orthodontist we saw yesterday asked about her snoring because she has a smaller airway. Not even her pediatrician mentioned this during the discussions about her snoring and sinus issues. The orthodontist mentioned that using an expander may allow the opening to open up a little a relieve a little of the snoring.
We talked a lot yesterday about DD's xrays and shape of her mouth. She's got so many things going on with teeth overlapping already in and in her gums and teeth being submerged. We talked about head gear vs expander. I just think she's got a more involved mouth.
Quoting coolmommy2x:
OMG...we just picked an orthodontist after 3 consults. I am opposed to expanders because I feel they have become used far too commonly. A palate expander breaks the palate to make it wider. The ortho we chose is the only one who didn't suggest an expander. Instead he is going to use headgear at night to move the teeth and I am a lot more comfortable with that. Don't get me wrong, if an expander is truly needed, I'm all for it. I just don't believe every kid needs it and yet many are getting it, almost as a routine part of braces. DS is almost 12 and will be getting his head gear in the next month or so and then full braces later. He still has some baby teeth but they're all loose so the orthodontist is confident they'll all fall out quickly on their own and won't need to be pulled. Have you gotten more than one opinion?
I was told that the palate is still soft before age 9 or 10, so an expander is better to use for the younger kids to make room?
Quoting coolmommy2x:
OMG...we just picked an orthodontist after 3 consults. I am opposed to expanders because I feel they have become used far too commonly. A palate expander breaks the palate to make it wider. The ortho we chose is the only one who didn't suggest an expander. Instead he is going to use headgear at night to move the teeth and I am a lot more comfortable with that. Don't get me wrong, if an expander is truly needed, I'm all for it. I just don't believe every kid needs it and yet many are getting it, almost as a routine part of braces. DS is almost 12 and will be getting his head gear in the next month or so and then full braces later. He still has some baby teeth but they're all loose so the orthodontist is confident they'll all fall out quickly on their own and won't need to be pulled. Have you gotten more than one opinion?
The dentist that the kids go to was the one who really encouraged us to take DD to see an orthodontist. He felt in her case (she's 8) that an early intervention may be in order. I don't know if that was the reason or not.
Quoting mom22tumblebugs:I was told that the palate is still soft before age 9 or 10, so an expander is better to use for the younger kids to make room?
Quoting coolmommy2x:
OMG...we just picked an orthodontist after 3 consults. I am opposed to expanders because I feel they have become used far too commonly. A palate expander breaks the palate to make it wider. The ortho we chose is the only one who didn't suggest an expander. Instead he is going to use headgear at night to move the teeth and I am a lot more comfortable with that. Don't get me wrong, if an expander is truly needed, I'm all for it. I just don't believe every kid needs it and yet many are getting it, almost as a routine part of braces. DS is almost 12 and will be getting his head gear in the next month or so and then full braces later. He still has some baby teeth but they're all loose so the orthodontist is confident they'll all fall out quickly on their own and won't need to be pulled. Have you gotten more than one opinion?
Sister's kids' parties and events....too much...need advice
- MissyB1011
on Feb. 16, 2012 at 8:23 AM