How young is too young to have braces?

Question

My daughter is nine and her dentist said I should take her to the orthodontist for braces. I know of other children in her class that have them, but she still has 4 teeth to lose. I know when I had braces I was 14, but nine seems way too young for me. am I wrong?

Answer 1

A child should not have braces until they have lost all of their baby teeth and all of their permanent teeth have grown in. Straightening baby teeth does not insure her permanent teeth will grow in straight. Insurance companies will only pay for braces once. If your daughter gets braces now and then needs to get them again to straighten her permanent teeth, you will have to pay for the braces and orthodontist visits out of your own pocket. I personally would wait until she has all of her permanent teeth.

Answer 2

Now a days many orthodontists and dentists are practicing what is called "Interceptive Orthodontics". The concept is to actually intervene while the patient is undergoing active growth. It is far easier (and less expensive) to guide the teeth into the right position while your child is growing than to wait until all the teeth are in and then try to figure out how and where you are going to line them up. This concept can sometimes help to reduce the necessity to extract adult teeth in severely crowded cases. My advice to you is there is no harm in having your child go for a referral. The worst that can happen is that the orthodontist decides to wait until your child is older, the best that can happen is that your child undergoes a few months of interceptive treatment and saves them (and you) years of having to wear braces!

Answer 3

No, he won't give her BRACES until all baby teeth have been lost - say, about 13yo. Braces are used to correct adult teeth misalignments.
However, she may benefit from an appliance (PLATE). These are often used at this stage to help achieve certain jaw misalignments.
Have a consultation with the orthodontist. It's the only way to find out these things. It's never too early to have an opinion, as treatment at the appropriate time can be helpful.

Answer 4

Personally, I tend to refer a patient to the orthodontist as soon as I know there will be problems. Often, I get a letter back saying thanks for the referral, but the child has been placed on 6 or 12 month recall. I would FAR prefer to have a child seen before they are ready for treatment instead of getting them there too late. If you can guide growth and development, it is far easier than waiting for the teeth to come in all wrong and then try to fix them. It never hurts anything to get an early consultation. It will most likely be free and you could also find out about costs.

Answer 5

It depends on what she needs. If she does not have enough space for all her adult teeth (very likely since her dentist recommend her to see an orthodontist), then she should see a dentist or orthodontist that can correct her lacking of space or misaligned jaw. If you wait for her too loose all her baby teeth, it may be too late for correcting her teeth or bite without extraction or treatment will be a lot longer. Since the jaw grows backward, all of the space she had from the 1st adult molar rigth to left will need to fit all her adult teeth except the 2nd molar and wisdom teeth. Check out the site beautifulsmileorthodontics.com. Good luck.

Answer 6

When I was in school, 9 was the norm. (I'm 24 now). Many of my class mates had braces then. 13 was actually a little late from what I remember.

Answer 7

i was 12 when i got mine. but then again, i got 6 baby teeth pulled cause they wouldnt come out.

does she have her adult teeth yet? if she does, shes a candidate for braces!!! take her to the orthodontist...he'll tell ya.

good luck!

Answer 8

She'll be ready for them when she has all of her adult teeth.
I'm 24...I got mine at 15...please for her sake, don't wait that long!

Answer 9

your never too young

Answer 10

It dosn't have any age limit.