Expanders on a 6 Yr Old

I have worked for a Pedi DDS for 15 yrs. It is better to expand at an early age while the bone is still soft. If she has a crossbite upper teeth behind lower teeth we would probably (every case is different) treat her now. I would get the opinion of an experienced pedi DDS that does orthodontics. I have had several family members that had expanders all under the age of 9 and had no problems. They will be sore for a few days when you start turning but get used to it very quick. The Dr. should let the patient get used to the expander before you start turning it.

Our daughter got expanders last summer. She is 8 now and they have been on for 6 months. We have noticed a huge difference. A couple of her friends have them. We thought the same thing, is this really neccesary now!! But I'm glad we did it. Her teeth are very straight and look great!! They also put 3 braces on top and 4 on bottom. She gets her bottom expanders off next month!! Good Luck, it does pay off in the end. My daughter was uncomfortable some, but the Dr told us to give her Ibeprophen and she was fine. I think it depends on the kid. She has a high pain tolerance. Also we acted like it wasn't a big deal so she would be calm about it!! The way we act determines the way they react.

My daughter just got her's out last month. She was 8 when she got it in, last May. She only had to have the top expander, not both. They put that in and we turned the key for a week or two and then we just waited for the bone to grow in where the palate had split. Once that happened, she got to have it taken out. Now, we are through until all of her permanent teeth are in, but now there is room for them to come in without all of the crowding.

The most important thing I can tell you is to get several opinions. I went to 4 different orthodontists and got 4 different treatment plans. Some wanted to do both the top and the bottom, some wanted to put braces on, and the last ortho we saw really took the time to talk with us and explained why this would be beneficial, etc. I had the same hesitation as you. The doctor we ended up going with is in Corinth off Swisher. His name is Dr. Vignolio at Corinth Orthodontics. He is great. They will give you a full tour of the office when you go in, and a free consult, of course. He was the first doctor that didn't make me feel that he just wanted my money. I finally felt at peace with the decision after meeting him and his staff.

Good luck!

S.

I had them as a child, and it is VERY painful. I remember turning the key every like 3 days, and how much that hurt. I am not saying this to make you fell bad, but to make you aware of what this may be like for your daughter. I suggest lots of milk shakes to make her smile :o)

My 7 year old also needs one, and our dentist and orthodontist have both told us doing it before they are 8-9 is best. Before that age the pallet is still soft, and will spread easier. Also, it will be in the right place when the pallet does harden. That is a biggie. Many people who had braces too young and up having to get them again as adults because their teeth moved back. I am one of those people. In my uneducated opinion (based only on my own experience) I say, get the pallet spreader put in when she is 7.5, and wait until she has most of her permanent teeth to move forward with braces. Even if that makes her 12 or 13. you can get a retainer I am sure to hold the pallet spread in place until then. She would most likely only have to wear it at night. Or, I think they can put a retainer behind her top teeth that she can wear. Just as an FYI, I also had braces on for 6 years because my parents allowed them to start with them when I was too young. I ended up having a few cavities develop under my molar bands because food worked it's way in over the years that brushing couldn't get to.

I totally understand your concern, and share the same questions now that my son is needing the same procedure. I hope I have given you some insight you didn't already have,

T.

My 7 year old just got an upper palate expander this fall. I, too, was surprized (& had a small heart attack at the $2K we paid for "phase 1." The benefit, as I was told, & I can certainly see the wisdom in it, is that they get the whole braces thing over with much earlier in life, while their facial bones are still more "flexible" in their growth. And there is a likely hood they won't have to do so much work on their teeth, as many corrections can be made earlier, rather than later when the problems are more pronounced.

My oldest is a full blown drama queen, so we went through much fussing & gnashing of teeth during the initial 2 weeks w/ it in. We used Advil & a few chiropractic adjustments, too. She finally settled down, & is fine w/ it now. She is suppose to get her first brackets tomorrow. I have little doubt the fussing will start all over again. :( Joy!

Good Luck! D.

C.,
I wouldn't do it yet. My husband works for one of the best dentists in the world. The dentist he works for travels around the world giving courses to other dentists. He says NEVER go to an orthodontist. They will ruin her teeth. Orthodontists only care about making their teeth straight and they don't care about the health of person's teeth. My husband knows more about it than I do and he could probably recommend a dentist near you that knows how to fix the problem the right way. If you want more information, email me at ____@____.com