Overbite = orthodontia?

[KBecks]

I had a dentist appt yesterday and it was Alek's first time. The whole family went and the dentist said Alek has an overbite and will need orthodontia. Dave and I felt put off by this. I have an overbite that's noticeable but does not interfere with function. Dave has a small overbite that's barely noticeable. So last night I looked at a lot of pictures of overbite, etc. The dentist also said Johnny will also probably need it, although he did not look in Johnny's mouth. :( Maybe he could tell through facial structure, but I did not like it.

Does anyone have experience with orthodontia to change overbite? Seriously I don't want to think about orthodontics right now. If the boys teeth are like mine, I think that's pretty much OK. I would take them to an eval, but I hate the idea of putting them through the pain of it.

This is my dentist that is a perfectionist and I had mixed feelings about continuing with as a patient. I had not looked for another dentist yet. Alek did great with his cleaning!!! He got very close and watched during parts of my cleaning first.

[kedss]

I had a big overbite and a big gap between my two top front teeth, and my teeth would have been crowded had I not had braces. I had a perfectionist orthodontist and wore braces for seven years, this was in the late 70s-early 80s, so hopefully it would be different now. :)

If you're not comfortable with this dentist, I would get a second opinion for your boys.

[kozachka]

I have a serious overbite and have been wearing braces for over two ears now. I had the same reaction as you did when I first heard about braces but after hearing the same thing from a number of different dentists of various specializations, I found the one that I trust and am getting close to the end of my treatment. If I knew how accepting people would be about an adult wearing braces and how not painful (at least overall) it would be, I would have done it earlier.

[brittone2]

I had some issues w/ my teeth that I wanted fixed for a long time, but they weren't horrible overall. That said, it was always pointed out to me by dentists that I had an overbite. It wasn't extreme, but I had an overbite.

Once I hit my mid 20s, I had two teeth chip from the wear on them created in part because of the overbite. No one had ever really explained to me that this could be an issue, but my bottom teeth and top teeth met in such a way that it put a lot of wear on my bottom teeth.

That finally triggered me to pursue orthodontics as an adult. It is also so much easier to floss and keep my gums/teeth healthy with appropriate spacing now.

[KBecks]

OK, I'm not really concerned about my teeth. I will use the night guard and I have no joint pain right now so I'm pretty happy.

I'm a little concerned about the boys though, we have years before we would even do an orthodontics consult. I guess we should wait and see but I felt stressed last night and had a hard time sleeping because I felt worried about it, and of course feeling guilty because it's my "bad" feature they seem to have.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I wouldn't worry about it for now. Both my parents have perfectly straight teeth and I needed orthodontia. My teeth were in bad shape. DH and I both had major orthodo issues so we're assuming our dc's will need it. DD's bottom teeth look similar to dh's in childhood. DS's look okay but it could all change.

[lizajane]

part of the reason i had braces was an overbite. i was 10.

i think i would just wait until you see an orthodontist to worry about it.

[ThreeofUs]

I second the don't worry about it. Orthodontia is a BIG business, and one of the ways they generate business is by convincing parents that non-pathological overbites are a problem.

If your DCs' teeth look acceptable to you and aren't bothering them, get a second opinion later. But remember, it's not in most dentists' interests to tell you your kids don't need braces.

But then, I'm a cynic with a slight overbite! ;)

[icunurse]

The "new" way they are treating kids teeth is to get an orthodontia eval around age 7. At that point, they might be able to do some minor things to prevent the need for braces in the future. My friends DD had this done and her teeth look amazing now (and she won't need braces later on, as a result).

I had braces as a teen, only for a year, as my teeth seemed to adjust quickly.

I really wouldn't stay up nights worrying about it as: there's nothing that you can do right now, it IS only braces (which most kids have at some point anyway these days), and it is nothing serious.

[JillSP]

My cousin is an orthodontist and I asked her some general questions about braces. One thing she told me is that you can't tell whether someone will need braces until the permanent teeth come in (so the raging gap between my daughter's front baby teeth is not a sign she will need braces once her permanent teeth come in).

She also told me that orthodontia has just become a lot more common now because people want "perfect" teeth and so there are kids who get braces now who would not have had them 30 years ago.

I'd take a wait and see approach. No point in worrying about it now.

[lovin2shop]

I had a lot of orthodontic work as a kid, but my ortho never said that he needed to fix my overbite. I'm not really sure why, there were plenty of other kids that my ortho did make wear headgear, so I guess there is some criteria for deciding that I was never aware of. I was glad at the time not to have to deal with it, but I kind of wish now that I had it fixed. I have the teeth wearing issues that Beth posted about. I agree that you should get a few ortho consults, but not worry about it till you get there. Every time we take Drew to the dentist, she comments that we need to start saving for braces now, so I feel your pain!