11 Yo Needs Braces Still Has 1 Baby Tooth

My daughter had to wait for the exact same reason. She was a freshman in HS when she was able to have the braces put on.

Hi M.,
If you have been given advice to wait, I would give you the same advice- you can put braces on a child at 11, but you will most likely be doing it again when he or she is about 14 or 15- I would chose to do it only once- and I too believe all the baby teeth are gone before braces.... I have two grand children who needed braces in the worst way-and their dentists both recommended they wait until all the baby teeth are gone-.
I have a nephew who is a pedi dentist and that also is his recommendation.
Good luck and blessings

I am 24 and just last year got one baby tooth removed and still have one more. And to top that off the baby tooth i got removed, a new tooth never came back. so you should ask his dentist about that kind of situation.

Hi M.,

I just wanted to tell you that my daughter is 14 years old and she also had 1 more baby tooth and we waited from age 11. She finally got them in December 2008 and they have to do surgery to pull the baby tooth out and make the new one come in. So waiting just didn't work for us. We go to Antoine Dental Center and they do Ortho there along with general dental work and also the specialist who is going to do her surgery will come in for that. Thanks.

C.

Hi M.. You have not said who will be putting the braces on. I live in Canada and we go to an Orthodontist for braces. It doesn't make sense to me to put braces on a child with a baby tooth still in his mouth. I would rather wait and have the adult tooth decend until braces are installed. Maybe a second opinion would be a good idea? Braces are very expensive and it would be a shame to do it too quickly. Good luck.

L.

At 11 years old I would definitely get the braces thing going, especially if he only has 1 baby tooth left. I say get it going because it will take at least a few months before the ortho is ready to put braces on his teeth. The orthodontist will do x-rays, teeth molds, and various other exams to get the best plan of action for your son. All of this takes a while. Plus, if it is just one tooth, the ortho may decide to go ahead and have it pulled.

My dentist sent me to the ortho first when I was 11. It took almost a year before I finally got the braces put on. And, I still had all but 2 of my baby molars at the time. Part of what took so long was the ortho had me get the rest of the baby molars (4 on bottom, 2 on top left hand) pulled first. Then he put my braces on the teeth I had and wired them so they would move around and make room for the permanent molars.

I wore braces for 3 years, the last year of which my bottom teeth were already in position, top weren't. I finally had to have the first permanent molars behind my incisors on the top taken out. My mouth was not big enough to get everything straight and have all my teeth.

Of course, at my 1 month check up after braces removal, he informed my parents that I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed. They were moving at an angle and already messing up my brace work. I had them cut out at 15 and am now glad I did. I see adult friends having trouble with theirs now and I don't have to worry about them.

My teeth have remained straight, but I was also very religious about wearing my retainer. The bottom one is a wire that is glued on the back of my teeth from incisor to incisor. 24 years and it's still there. The top one was removable and I wore it until it broke, which was about 10 years after I got my braces off.

Teeth can move around all of your life depending on what you do with your mouth.

You do not have to wait. I work for an orthodontist, and he works around the baby teeth and if he needs them out he will send the patient to have them extracted. Why don't you schedule a consultation and see what the orthodontist will suggest. They will not have to go through braces twice or start over unless they do not follow up with their retainer after the braces. Still having one baby tooth is not going to stop them from putting braces on now.

My dentist suggested we go have an orthodontist check our girls' teeth when they were about that age. We picked one he trusted & who many in the local middle school used. The ortho told us that out 1st only needed braces for cosmetic reasons. We chose not to put her in braces. When my second daughter got to be that age, we took her in. She still had 2 baby teeth. One was a "peg" tooth. There weren't any adult teeth behind them to replace them. Plus the roots of 2 teeth were half twisted around each other. So she needed her braces. She is now 20 & still has not lost the 2 baby teeth.
Pick a reputable orthodontist who will say yes, they need help or its up to you if you want them.

I would go with a good orthodontist's advice. My son (poor thing) had to have TEN baby teeth pulled (over the course of three years) because they absolutely refused to come out on their own and were causing major crowding problems with the few permanent teeth that were coming in. I know that sounds horrifying, but we have the best orthodontist around, AND the best dentist, and I believe they totally had my son's best interest at heart (plus, when we had lived in another state before coming here, our dentist there had pretty much echoed that he was going to have some major problems with a couple of his baby teeth.) He started braces at 14, and is doing great with them and we love our ortho.

A good ortho knows all about teeth, mouths and crowding, so I'd listen to them! They'll know the best time for your child to start (we started with our ortho when our son was ten and just did yearly checkups until she decided it was the right time to get him started), and they'll know what to do about that tooth, too!

Orthodontics have changed a lot since we were kids. They now start orthodontic treatment as young as 6 and 7 years old. They do "phase one" early treatment, then full braces ("phase two") when they are older. My 8 year old is having Phase One treatment currently. I suggest going to an orthodontist for an initial consultation and let them tell you when they think it would be best. I'm not sure where you live, but I highly recommend Avery Orthodontics in Cedar Park. That's where my daughter is going and a friend of mine takes her daughter there as well. We both have been very happy with them. Good Luck!

When I was young we waited and waited and waited for my last two baby teeth to fall out but they never did. Finally at 13 they just pulled them. I got my braces and they put spacers in so the other teeth didn't move in to the place where the new ones would be growing in. My teeth turned out fine.

These days they are placing children in Orthodontics earlier. This can significantly decrease the amount of time spent in braces. And if the tooth is loose which it should be this should not be a problem. If there is crowding you have to worry about getting the teeth clean in-between which can be a problem if this is the case. I can not stress flossing enough. The tooth brush only cleans the surfaces we see but floss reaches and removes debris from in between. I say go see a Orthodontist and get the ball rolling the molds and x-rays and initial visits take a little over a month anyway.
Good Luck,
P.
Pediatric Dental Assistant

I do believe it is better to wait because you could go through a year or so of braces lose the baby tooth and then have to start over. Plus he needs to be checked for wisdom teeth. I was an adult when I got braces and my dentist had my wisdom teeth surgically removed so that there wouldn't be the possibility of them coming in and shifting my teeth again. I didn't have room for them in my mouth but I know some people do. You may want to ask about that as well. You can get braces up into your adult life so you still have time to be able to straighten his teeth.

I'm reading all these responses because my granddaugher has a simular problem but two of her baby teeth don't have adult teeth under them. Thank you for posting. God Bless your family. Thank your husband from me for his contribution to keeping this country safe.

Good Morning, M.

Having had a couple of us in braces, including myself righ now...(Grin)...I would definately wait IF they wish to put actual braces on, until the baby tooth has fallen out,however,sometimes it is best to start EARLY, while your child's mouth pallet is soft, in preparing mouth for braces. Ex: the orthodontist will put an expander in to preapare room & what not.
SO go for consultation, ask lots of questions, but it is NOT too early, & sometimes better.

you should wait untill they are at least 13 to get braces or you will be wasting your money. let all baby teeth out and adult teeth in that way you straighen them all at once, i know i had to do my kids twice and as all and she was miserable.

My mom made me wiggle my teeth to get them out quickly so I could get braces. I lost three in a couple weeks, and got the braces. I was glad I did it so I could get them on and off before HS. Hope this helps.

A lot to consider. Have had 3 boys in braces over the years. Here's what I learned.
Starting point of braces has to depend on maturity of the child. Braces are a responsibility! If the child is not ready to take care of the cleaning and the careful eating required now, you should wait. Otherwise you will find yourself nagging about the brushing, and all the flossing, and what they shouldn't be eating.....that's a drag.

Why braces recommended now is another thing. If there is a bite problem (overbite, crossbite...etc) they are easy to correct when the child is younger and the jaws more maleable. If it is mostly cosmetic, lining up teeth, correct spacing and the bite is fine, see paragraph above re: maturity.

I had one son start braces with a few baby teeth left. A good orthodontist will work around them. Remember that orthodonture takes a couple years, so space for the permanent tooth is not an issue---the baby tooth will be long gone before the braces are in their finishing stages.

Last piece of advice: see AT LEAST 3 orthodontists and get quotes/ advice/ treatment plans. With my oldest, we went automatically with the guy our dentist recommended and it was a horrible experience. We should have checked out others in the area before deciding.

Hello,

My daughter is 11 years old and she got her braces in October and will have to have them in for two years. She had four baby teeth and the doctor pulled them the same day he put her braces on. My daughter was never in any pain afterward and was able to go back the school after it was done. She just had to adjust eating a little differently for a while until she got adjusted to how to bite into food.

My daughter still had plenty of her baby teeth when she got double appliances to stretch out her mouth. She lost several very close together, I think because her mouth got bigger and the adult teeth had somewhere to go.

I would listen toyour dentist, or get another professional opinion, rather than listen to someone else's experience with a different mouth. Each case is different, and should be individually assessed.

M.:
I worked for two denstist for several yrs. and your situation is not uncommon. If the dentist is recommending braces,once you go to the orthodontist, he will give you a clear understanding of what his/her plan will be for your child. A general dentist may have some training in ortho, but ususally that is why many refer out to a specialist. The Ortho doctor will do a full study of your child with x-rays and models to study what is best for him. They will take into account all the factors and many more. My daughter, who just turned 15 had 2 permanent teeth extracted and had one baby tooth in place when she started with her braces. The dentist had a plan it worked beautifully. They took the tooth out when it was time.She had her braces off in 18 months and in time for her quinceanera boy does she look great.
Many orthodontists will give you a free consultation. Once you hear what they have to offer, they will usually schedule the child for records and models for a fee.
hope this helps

When I was a kid, I was told to wait until the last one fell out. If he is 11, it shouldn't be much longer. You could go ahead and get a consult from an orthodontist and they would be able to give you the best answer.

Hi! Take your son to the orthodontist and see what they recommend. I work in a dental office, you don't have to wait for his last baby tooth to come out. Sometimes the orthodontist will ask your dentist to extract it.
When he does have his braces it is very important that you keep him on his six month cleanings!

I was a treatment plan coordinator for an orthodontist for 12 yrs and starting orthodontic treatment depends on what your dentist indicated the problem is. Did your dentist provide you w/ a treatment plan indicating what the problem is, how he or she plans to make the corrections and how long it will take until she or he will be in their permanent retainer. I suggest you get a 2nd opinion from an orthodontist. 2nd opinions are usually done at no charge and you can compare costs, recommendations and you can determine which office you think is the best fit for your child. You will be going to the office every month for quite a while, so it needs to be a good fit.
If you get a written treatment plan and indicating the reasons for treatment (findings) I would be happy to respond w/ more information.

My dentist told me to wait for all of my 12 yo permanent teeth to come in before we consider braces. You could spend all of that money just to have them shift again when the other teeth come in. Save you money and wait. Of course they want you to do it now, that is their income. I have a friend who got braces for her son at 11, but I don't agree. My mom has worked for a dentist for the last 25 years and she agreed for us to wait. I may even consider finding a new dentist. I am not sure that is good practice.

Wait until he loses the baby tooth-and until his mouth stops growing. Unless his mouth stops growing all of his teeth still have the potential to shift around-despite what the braces have tried to correct. I have had numerous friends who put braces on their children's teeth at an early age so the braces could be off their teeth by high school-only to find there were still problems. A second opinion is always a good idea. Not to be negative but not every professional has your child's best interest at heart.

It does seem to make sense to wait until the baby tooth comes out before braces go on.
But my daughter has a friend who has braces and the dentist pulled a tooth with braces on.
Is pulling the tooth before putting the braces on a option?
Good luck.

Waiting or not depends A LOT on why your child needs braces. For instance, my child does not have enough room in her mouth (front to back) to fit all of her teeth as they come in. She will have to have several pulled and will need braces to correct her severe overbite.

I had a very small mouth (side to side) and they considered the need ot remove teeth. They were able to use a retainer to start widening my mouth while I still had baby teeth and then when they felt it had widened enought hey put braces on for a couple of years to set them in the proper place.

I would ask your dentist why they feel it is allright to start this process before the last baby tooth comes out. It could be that losing that tooth and the new one growing in will not affect the overall issue due to it's location versus the actual problem requiring the braces.

Good luck and I hope things work out for the best. ;-)

My son had his braces put on last September and since then has had at least 7 teeth come out. The ortho. does not seem to think that is a problem because as the new tooth grows in, they just attach a brace to it to pull it in straight. So far so good..his teeth are all lined up beautifully.