<p>“I’m not sure what a Bionator is, but I know kids who were tortured by something called a Herbst appliance, and I myself had a palette expander. Aweful things. I would never do that to my kids unless it was really necessary. Ugh!”</p>
<p>I totally agree since my son has both. </p>
<p>Poor baby, I have to turn the screw in the palate expander twice a week; he is in a permanent state of soreness. But at least the herps have improved to where they now don’t get stuck open if the child yawns or laughs big. Re: the herps, we had no choice…it was do this now or have jaw surgery when he was an adult. His overbite is that severe. My mother has the same overbite and was in tremendous pain from tmj so she had the jaw surgery a few years ago. Terrible process…much more so than herps. But she is so much better now (and lost 20 lbs…lol!), so it all ended well.</p>
<p>Also, I will say this. My d had traditional brackets which was not a big deal to her because she wore braces in junior high along with virtually every other kid at the school. Her smile is so gorgeous and natural, parents and strangers comment how lucky she was to have been born with such pretty teeth… and when they found out she wore braces they ask for the name of our orthodontist. So we had great luck with traditional metal brackets.</p>
<p>Our kids really NEEDED braces–son wasn’t eating propery because his teeth were misaligned. Poor guy needed extractions, headgear & traditional metal braces for many years. Fortunately, he wasn’t very self-conscious because tons of other kids had braces at the same time. Daughter was fortunate in having a shorter time wearing traditional metal braces & again with tons of other kids. Both kids have nice teeth that look natural now.</p>
<p>I agree it’s important to have an orthodontist whom you have good rapport with & the kids enjoy, since they’ll be seeing the ortho & his staff often.</p>
<p>There is LOTS of difference among orthodontists–some want to shave teeth, some do other things. ASK, ASK, ASK about what the ortho plans to do & all the options. It can be worthwhile seeing several orthos before choosing the one you are going to use–we had planned to, but ended up just interviewing the 1st one (his dad did my braces) because we liked him so much & trust him. My neighbor interviewed many & ended up with our ortho as well.</p>
<p>Find out the total price & what it includes & excludes so you don’t have nasty surprises later. My kids had to have brackets replaced from time to time for reasons none of us ever understood (they were pretty good about following the rules about what to eat & avoid). Never were charged extra for these, tho I know some orthos do charge extra. I know some also charge extra if appointments are missed–some give you grace of maybe two missed appointments before charging for the 3rd. Some also give a discount if you pay everything up front via cash or check (instead of charging it); some offer payment plans or some have arrangements with the bank for payment plans. Using a Flexible Spending Account (through employer) to pay for orthodontia can also result in substantial savings.</p>
<p>I’m an adult and currently have the clear ceramic brkts on top and metal on the bottom. Do people notice my braces? Not unless they’re within ten feet of me…but! Due to the larger brkt, it is taking longer for my upper teeth to move and that is getting frustrating. In hindsight, I wish I had gone with all metal just to get these off ASAP! My bottoms are perfect and we’re just waiting on the upper alignment. With the larger clear brkt the tension with the wire is not as great due to they are a bit farther apart than with metal. Tell your daughter, she will be wearing her braces a few months longer than if she chooses the clear.</p>
<p>As for staining, yes spaghetti sauces, pizza, ketchup and especially mustard. Stay away from mustard which turns the clear bands yellow.</p>
<p>And kids, thank your parents for doing this for you while you’re young. It’s no picnic in your forties!</p>
<p>There are semi-permanent retainers that you can ask about instead of the kind you take in and out. I believe they are more expensive but worth it - it is just a little metal band on the back of the teeth.</p>
<p>My daughter had the clear on top and metal on the bottom and we thought they were great - can hardly see them - they just end up making your teeth look a little larger. She tried the color bands at first but then opted for clear ones after that. The colored bands with clear brackets end up looking like you’ve got food stuck in your mouth. </p>
<p>Definitely get an electric toothbrush if you don’t already have one. Our orthodontist gives all his patients one because it cleans so much better. He was our most expensive choice but it has been worth it - every orthodontist is really different so I agree with the poster who said ask, ask , ask. </p>
<p>And an orthodontist who is on time is worth his/her weight in gold. We had a family recommend that we go to the ortho we ended up with because their’s was always late - sometimes their routine appointments would be 20 or 30 minutes late. We are in and out fast, so it has been quite painless. Next Monday is the day they come off!</p>