I just took my (almost) 3 year old daughter to her first pediodontist visit. The dentist saw her underbite and is afraid that her underbite might a skeletal issue rather than a dental issue and I was a little blown away by the head gear solution they're going to throw at me if my daughter's underbite doesn't improve by the time she's 4. The only other option they gave me for correction would be surgery at a much later date if she's not a good candidate for the head gear!!
We don't have any history of an underbite anywhere on my side of the family or on my husband's. I thought this was a genetic thing? Anyone out there have experience with this and can share some advice? I don't think my daughter would be very compliant with wearing head gear and I don't want her to get teased by other children...
Thanks everyone for your advice! It's good to hear all of the different stories to know this is not too uncommon. Hopefully things will correct themselves before 4 yrs. old but we'll do what's recommended to make sure my daughter doesn't have to have invasive surgery later on - that's the most important thing! Thanks again.
If your not comfortable & overwhelmed by this diagnosis, please have a 2nd opinion (possibly with a orthodontist, who specializes in these types of unalignments in the mouth). And ask your pediatrician for any advice or referrals. Hope this helps, good luck.
L.
I work for a pedi DDS. It is best to fix bite problems early if possible. It will help the permanent teeth to come in the correct position. We usually wait until the patient is four to start and that also depends on cooperation of the child. I would say if she is very cooperative and has no anxiety about going to the dentist that four is not to early to start. You will be amazed at how well they do with treatment. We have treated Hundreds over the years and have seen very good results.
Good Luck!!
I don't have any experience with an underbite per se, but I have had very extensive orthodontic and orthognathic work done on my own jaws to correct an unexplained growth spurt that occurred on one side of my jaw when I got my braces off at the age of 14. There is no explanation for why my lower jaw grew as it did as both of my parents have naturally nice straight teeth, and there is no other orthognathic history that we know of that could have contributed to it. My upper jaw became slightly tilted in order to accommodate my lower jaw's growth. My mouth was truly a mess.
I wore a headgear when I had braces as a pre-teen, and it was limited to night wearings only. I had to wear a strap that went around the crown of my head and another strap that went around the nape of my neck. I don't have any bad memories of being teased about the headgear and braces and got more grief for my glasses than anything else I can recall.
You will most definitely want to have her underbite corrected as it can lead to a long history of dental and periodontic issues. I've had braces again and two upper and lower jaw surgeries and am happy to have the whole ordeal behind me although the structure of my teeth themselves has been weakened due to the 15 years I lived with uncorrected jaws.
My daughter was 4 when my dentist told me to consult an orthodontist about her underbite. I went to Dr. Lustig on N. Tarrant Pkwy. His consultation,exam, and xrays were all free. They do not charge until they have to begin to fix the problem. Her underbite self corrected with no intervention at all. Just when her adult teeth began to come in and baby teeth fell out, it all went into place. I like Dr. Lustig. He had us come back every 6 months and kept a close check on her. We never paid him anything because she did not need help. Now my daughter is almost 7 and her pearly whites are a beauty! Good luck but definitely get it checked out early!
M.
When my son was 2 years old I was told that he was going to need braces because of his underbite. I was floored. I figured it was something that he would grow out of. So, of course I started stressing about it. Then, my mother reminded me how I got rid of my buck teeth without braces (I would push my front teeth with my thumb and even go to sleep like that to push them back. It took about a year of doing it as often as I could, but it worked.) So I looked for anything that he was doing that could be causing his lower jaw to jut forward. I discovered that it was his sippy cups that were the culprit and got rid of them (that was tough on him and in turn me). I would also adjust his mouth like the dentist showed me after he went to sleep. The dentist didn't think it could be done, but now his teeth are fine.
Hope this might be helpful to you.
