Extraction Primary Teeth Vs. Expanders 8 Year Old-longer Term Results Anyone?

My daughter got her braces and expander put in at 7, top teeth only. She had already lost most of her baby teeth by then (no extractions done). Her bite was off and with the baby teeth coming out so quick I was concerned about overcrowding (my SS had teeth coming in above his others). Her cusbids/canine are taking forever to come down (one is almost in and the other is on its way, her orthodontist always shows me the x-rays).

Right now her top braces are holding places for the cusbid/canine teeth since her second molars are coming through and we can see her wisdom teeth coming down in the x-rays. My daughter is only 9 and her teeth are way ahead of where they should be so this was the best options for us. I also noticed that her teeth moved quick and we only needed the expander for a few months. I don’t know if that is because she is young or genetics.

Having an expander is not a big deal, they get used to it quick and it shouldn’t interfere with sports. They just have a lisp until they adjust to it being in their mouth. IMO, I think it would be better to have the expander while they are young.

The palette expander will widen your son's palette so he will have enough room for all of his adult teeth. If there is not enough room he could have to get adult teeth pulled. I would absoultely go with the palette expander. The palate expander will give him a much more attractive, broader smile IMHO, too.

EDIT - I sent you a private message. Check your flowers. The private messages go there.😊

My daughter had a very small mouth and a slight crossbite. I thought the reason for an expander is to correct their bite. She also had a tooth that was imbedded in her top palate that had to be uncovered and brought into place (eye tooth). My pediatric dentist and orthodontist are against pulling permanent teeth. Her results are amazing. She has a beautiful healthy smile. I would go with the expander hands down.

The first week is rough. Eating is harder and they just have to figure it out. One thing I highly recommend is a water pik because occasionally she would get food particles that were easier to deal with using a pic instead of a brush. My daughter was hard to understand at first and she was frustrated and a little embarrassed because people on the beginning would ask her to repeat herself. Best thing for that is to have them read out loud.

My son has now had to have an uncovering of a stomach tooth that was coming in horizontally. I'm hoping he will have the same success. He didn't have to have the expander.

Million dollar mouths! Lol! Worth it though. My parents gave me the option of having braces. I declined and really regret I did.

My son had his expander put in at age 9 as well as braces (top only), we also pulled both baby teeth and adult teeth at different times. He now has wonderful straight teeth, minus 4 adults we had pulled.

I would ask the ortho who doesn't plan the expander how he plans to make enough space for the overcrowded adult teeth. As you said, you don't want to only solve the immediate issue, you want to plan ahead to prevent later issues.

For one of my kids, we had one ortho recommend and expander and one did not. We went with the ortho who did not recommend an expander, because that kid has space literally around every tooth in his mouth. The no-expander ortho was confident there is plenty of space for adult teeth. My other child's baby teeth are tight together and crowded so I'm sure he'll need an expander.

We did the palette expander for our son - and it worked great!
He did have to have braces for a few years but it was only 2 and he was finished before 6th grade was over.

Way back in the 70's I had braces for 7 years (5th grade through 11th grade) and they extracted 8 adult teeth in order to get them all to fit.
It was beyond miserable.
I can remember thinking one time they were coming off at my next appointment - and they weren't - and I just burst into tears right in the orthodontics office thinking I'd NEVER get all that hardware out of my mouth.

The expanders work great and help shape the jaws as they are growing - it's MUCH less painful then trying to move the teeth around after the bones have finished growing.
Pulling teeth will create more problems later on.
His adult teeth will be bigger (and there's more of them) than the baby teeth - and he needs JAW SPACE - which the expanders will give him.

Get another opinion if you want to, but the expanders are the way to go!
His teeth have to last him a life time!
Get it right early and he'll be smiling well into his very old age!

I would get a 3rd opinion. There may be merit to each orthodontist's position that we cannot appreciate.

That said, a palate expander, while it is an investment in terms of money and does mean that you have to go back for monthly visits for a while, is easy peasy. There is no difficulty wearing it and it won't affect anything, including sports. I had one when I was a teenager and my youngest has one now. It's weird for a couple of days and then you don't even notice it.

Kids are supposed to have gaps between their teeth until all of their adult teeth are in. When their teeth are all touching, it can be a sign of crowding. The expander will give everything room to be where it is supposed to be when all of the adult teeth are in. The space created gets pretty big at first - I could fit a stack of 4 quarters between my front teeth at the time of my widest gap, my son's wasn't nearly as big - but after the teeth start to move and the adult ones start to drop, they'll get pushed back together to a normal spacing. If a space remains, it can be closed up with manipulating the wires on the braces that are usually put on with the expander to guide the teeth into place.

Do the palate expander. It's a lot better in the long run. It will save you a lot of time and money down the line when all those adult teeth have nowhere to go. A narrow palate can cause other issues beyond just no room for teeth, it can effect the nasal passage ways as well as their windpipe. All of that is connected. It's not all about the teeth.
We've done the expanders for my son. He's now got room for all of his adult teeth and they are coming in really straight all on their own. Right now he's got retainers to keep the spaces open while the adult teeth come in so they are guided into the right places.

We have not had the expanders but my niece did. The big thing in her case was her bite. Her bite was way off so they went with the expander (although she was older, probably more like 10) and she then went on to have braces. She played basketball etc. and it was fine.

My kids have crowded teeth but their bites are fine. So it has not been recommended to us.

We also were told we could have some baby molars extracted to make room. We got a second opinion because they wanted to take a bunch out. In the end, we didn't. We are playing it by ear. So far, their jaws seem to be growing to make room because they are coming in fine - compared to what the aggressive/extraction dentist suggested.

I have not heard of extracting canines. Whenever it came up for my kids, it was always baby molars. Not sure if that helps or not, but that does seem a bit funny. What does your regular dentist say? Maybe they could be the third opinion? I know they don't have as much expertise or experience, but they do see a lot of teeth.

My daughter needed the expander...she had a crossbite (her upper teeth sat inside her lower ones) and on her xrays her teeth were stacked like a shark...several were going to come in through the roof of her mouth. Then as her teeth came in they were caught with braces and pulled into place....this was between the ages of 6 and 8...she was in and out of braces in 1st and 2nd grade.

The expander was easy enough for me to do...turn it every night before bed.

The braces following the expander closed all gaps in her teeth and now we are with out braces just a retainer she wears when she sleeps holding all the teeth in place as we wait for the rest of them to come in over the next few years.

We will have round 2 of braces when more of her teeth come in to catch them and pull them in place...she has beautiful teeth, now and I saw what they would have looked like on that first xray....I am super thankful we have access to orthodontic care.

I had braces as an adult. I had 4 teeth extracted, due to crowding. I am jealous of the full smile the younger kids have. My teeth are straight, I guess that was the goal. Neither of my kids needed extraction or expanders. My younger sisters had expanders. I can't compare my mouth or teeth to theirs because we have different facial shapes and completely different teeth.

Can't answer you on the extraction question so I suggest you get a 3rd opinion with a new perspective.

My son had a palate expander prior to braces, and it was no problem after the first few days. He adjusted it himself with the small tool provided, about once a week. Easy to do. I don't know if that's the same type your son would have. My son's was to wide his mouth and there were no extractions involved - it was just to make room for the teeth that would be coming in. I'm not saying it's the right choice for your son, but just that I don't see it as a major problem for anyone, sports or no sports, unless there's something in the design that makes your son's issue very unique. My son was older than your son, but very small for his age at that time. And he now has fabulous teeth.

My oldest son is on his SECOND set of braces. I'm glad we did the first set. There were no extractions done for either of my boys.

Both are in braces now. My oldest will be having his impacted wisdom teeth out this year.

I would talk to another orthodontist and get their opinion as well. I personally wouldn't extract, not primary teeth. Not yet.