jenleahlynn-braces x 4- the kids at 10,10,10,8, plus me

[jenleahlynn]

My husband and I both have crowded teeth, so I think we are a bit obsessed when it comes to our kids. We knew genetics were not in their favor. We have triplets girls (i'll refer to them as A,B, and C just so it doesn't get confused. they turned 10 this winter. Our son, I'll refer to as D just to follow the pattern, turned 8 this winter. We've been consulting with the ortho for about 2 years now, mostly watch and wait, and were expecting this to be the big year. So we increased our dental insurance and braced ourselves.

In second grade, our family dentist refered A and B to the orthodontist because their xrays showed adult teeth coming in with nowhere to go. B had actually lost 2 baby molars much to early, because the new ones coming in behind forced them out. The ortho recommended that she have 2 baby teeth pulled on the bottom to make space for adult teeth, and start 6 month consultations. A needed 4 baby canines pulled to make room for her front adult teeth to come in, and start 6 month consultations. We decided to take C in for a consultation as well, just knowing the odds. She had crowding with her back teeth, and we were able to nudge her new molars into the correct position with braces only on her rear teeth, without damaging the existing molars. that was followed up with a permanent retainer (rainbow and sparkles!).
2 years later.....C has replaced her retainer with top and bottom expanders, A followed a few weeks later with expanders, and C will be going in for another consultation next month to see if we need to pull adult teeth, or if and expander will give the the space she needs.

D had his own consultation with the ortho when he was 6, he had crowded baby teeth! i've learned to appreciate those gappy baby grins. his first adult tooth came in before he had even lost the first baby tooth. we actually scheduled and appointment to have it pulled when it finally came out on it's own. it just needed to be threatened. He has been doing 6 month checkups as well. He just turned 8 and the ortho recommended having 4 baby teeth pulled to make room for adult teeth coming in. he was completely sedated, and did really well after.

Our ortho is really relaxed and fun. he wears skater shoes, and talks directly to the kids. They don't get anxious about visits to his office.

I have my own anxieties with dentists, so it took until a couple months ago for me to schedule a consultation for myself. As a kid, i had a lot of cavities, and i wore and expander on my top teeth in 3rd grade. this was the 70's, so it was pink and i could take it out to eat. i always felt guilty about my teeth. we moved and my parents didn't follow up with dental checkups. Once i was married an had my own dental insurance, i started taking better care of my teeth. more to come...

[Tobilei]

Hi Welcome to the board. Whew! I thought we were having a lot of us in orthodontics (my 13 year old has had them for 11 months now, I'm currently 5 months in, my husband is off to get a retainer shortly and my twin 10 year olds will be up for them in the next 12 months or so). I can empathize (you have more going on than me though!).

Looking forward to the rest of your story

[jenleahlynn]

it's nice to know we aren't the only ones who will be having lot's of 'tinsel' in their christmas pictures. are your twins identical or fraternal? my daughters are frater nal, they have diffrent hair color, and are diffrent heights. they all haves issue with crowding, but in diffrent areas. the treatment have been similar, but it gets confusing sometimes why one of them needs and expander while her sister may need to have teeth pulled with no expander. fortunatly our orthodontist is good with kids, and with explaining things to adults as well.

when A saw how much the expander was going to cost for C, she told me that for herelf, there is no need for braces. What she doesn't see is that her smile looks fine now because her adult canines had no where to go so they haven't come in, but they will force their way. i think he did a good job of explaining it to her without scaring her or making her feel like it was her fault that her mouth is too small for all those teeth.

[Tobilei]

Haha, yep, we'll have those photo's too, although my daughters and mine will be off before the twins get theirs I suspect.

Mine are fraternal and as different as chalk and cheese. One is almost always slightly taller (Twin 1), one has very thick Shirley Temple ringlets (Twin 2), the other finer straight and fairer hair (Twin 1), their faces are completely different too, one looks just like her Dad (Twin 2-who looks like his mother) and the other looks very much like my husbands fathers side of the family (Twin 1). One of my brother in laws kids looks more like the curly haired twins (Twin 1) brother than either of her sisters do. Genetics are funny! Even when they were little people often assumed there was 10 months between them or that they were friends not sisters.

Lots of different dental problems here too. All 3 have overcrowding issues, some worse than others. My eldest had a severe overjet that put her in a plate for 18 months before the braces even went on, Twin 1 has a slight overjet but is mostly just overcrowding and Twin 2 has such a severe overbite that her bottom teeth were grinding holes in the roof of her mouth and causing infections so she's had molar buildups for the last year already and they'll stay on until her braces move her teeth enough that that doesn't happen anymore.

It's all fun and games with this many people needing orthodontics (my own post is making my head spin so I hope it makes sense to you!)

[debinator]

After reading these posts I feel extremely fortunate that my son got his dad's teeth- (they both have beautiful straight white teeth.) I can't begin to imagine having to finance 2 sets of braces at the same time let alone 4, 5 or 6!

[Tobilei]

After reading these posts I feel extremely fortunate that my son got his dad's teeth- (they both have beautiful straight white teeth.) I can't begin to imagine having to finance 2 sets of braces at the same time let alone 4, 5 or 6!

Lol I wish I could un-imagine it!! It hurts a lot!

[SunshineRay]

Did you get a dental discount? lol That is alot of ortho work at one time!

[jenleahlynn]

yes , if i remember correctly we are getting a 20% discount. also since C had braces on her back teeth with the same ortho a couple years ago, we got a further discount on her expander. we've known this was coming so we've been saving, and increased our dental insurance at the begining of this year. and it does cover adult ortho. that is actually what motivated me to go in for a consultation myself. my husband's canines are pushed up because of crowding, but he feels its a cosmetic issue and not worth going into braces himself.

i have a cross bite so at times my jaw is very sore. If i was ever going to do it, then this would be the best time financially. we had actually spent about $1000 a few years ago to have a splint made (similar to a retainer) to help with my tmj. it's not a permanent help, but takes the pressure off at night. i wish my dentist had brought up doing braces instead as a permanent fix.

[Kurisu]

Oh my, all 4 children? Well at least you won't be alone, and you can help motivate your children to take care of their teeth starting at a young age

Ah any discount is good, especially on top of dental insurance. I don't know anyone personally who has triplets, so I find that really intriguing. How long will you have to wear braces for, if and when you get them?

[PeaCat]

Interesting......triplets and their brother all with undersized dental arches. In the "Off Topic" section I posted a piece about the works of Dr Weston A Price and Dr. Francis Pottenger Jr. and epigenetics. Food for thought. Check it out.

[jenleahlynn]

i'll look into to article. this summer has been busy. A and C both had expanders in the spring. they went to summer camp, and took the aquapick with them. we've found that to be the easiest way for them to deal with food stuck in them. B doesn't have braces yet, but she started using it as well and is doing a better job of taking care of her teeth. the expander on the bottom irritated their tounge, and food was always getting stuck in it, but it wasn't painful for them. still they were thrilled to get them off this fall. now they have the room they need, and are in full top and bottom braces. Along with the braces, A has epoxy build up on her molars to open up her bite and to prevent her top teeth from hitting the brackets on her bottom teeth. it makes chewing tough, after a couple weeks to adjust she eats most things, but some meats are still difficult. C has a turbo to serve the same purpose. it is a bracket on the back of her front teeth, so her molars don't touch. i think eating was more of an adjustment for her.

their sister C, had baby teeth that were loose but not coming out, and she got really upset when someone tried to wiggle them. we ended up going to our dentist to have 2 pulled with novicane and laughing gas but it was still rough. then on her next checkup with xrays the orthodontist, said that her adult teeth were impacted underneath the baby teeth. imaging 2 cars trying to angle in to 1 parking place, with a 3rd car still sitting in it. no one is going anywhere, and there was a concern that the adult teeth could damage each other or the roots of other teeth. he reccommended pulling 3 baby teeth, and 4 adult teeth from underneath them. C was completely freaked out by this. we went to an oral surgeon, so they could do complete sedation. it also ended up that one of the teeth was against the hard palate and difficult to get to. it's a lot, but afterwards there were only 3 gaps and a couple stitches along with a lot of bruising.now we are giving her several months to let the remaining adult teeth come in, and are planning on full braces this winter. at least that part is over with and no expanders for her.

[jenleahlynn]

i updated on the kids. now it's my turn. I can't remember the date, but i had full top braces put on last spring. I was surprised within a few weeks, i could actualy see my front teeth were straighter. i've also noticed a huge diffrence in the jaw pain from tmj. partially due to avoiding hard and chewy foods. i also had bottom braces put on this summer, along with blue epoxy build up on my molars. the build up is to open my bite, and to keep my top teeth from hitting my bottom brackets. it also prevents my teeth from locking into an awkward position at night. I've been on medication for headaches related to nerve pain for the last couple of years, and i've been able to to cut down on the dose. we hadn't thought it was related to my teeth.

since i had an expander on my top teeth as a child, i have enough room for adjustments. my bottom teeth though, are quite crowded and the ortho recommended pulling the teeth directly behind the canines. i was pretty nervous about this. while i was thinking it over i also realized that one of those teeth didn't have any caveties, while the one directly behind it already has a huge filling. when i brought up, the ortho thought it made sense to trade, it would just mean an additional 3 months in braces. i can live with that though.

my dentist pulled them a few weeks ago and it was nothing compared to what my daughter dealt with. once the pressure was off, my canines have already started to shift into the correct position. the ortho is really happy with the progress we've made, but he wanted me to be aware that the progress from here on will be slower. when i go back in december, he is planning to add bands connecting the top and bottom.

it's been a big investment, and uncomfortable at times, but i'm really glad i decided to do something to take care of myself. i wish i had done this sooner, and not just put up with my sore jaw.