So, I took my 7-year-old to the dentist yesterday, just a regular check-up, nothing special. But then the dentist casually mentions that we might wanna think about braces soon. Like, soon-soon. I was kinda surprised because I always thought braces were more of a teenage thing, you know? But she said something about how starting early could help with jaw growth and make things easier later on.
Now I'm sitting here imagining my second grader with braces and wondering if that's really necessary or if it's just one of those "nice-to-have" things dentists sometimes suggest. I mean, I get it—early intervention can be good—but is it really worth it at this age? Anyone else had their dentist bring this up when their kid was still pretty young? How'd you handle it?
We had a similar situation with our daughter when she was around 8. Dentist mentioned braces early, and honestly, we were skeptical. We decided to get a second opinion from an orthodontist who actually suggested waiting a bit longer. He explained that sometimes early braces are helpful, but not always necessary, especially if it's just minor alignment stuff. Might be worth checking with an orthodontist directly before jumping in—could save you some money and hassle down the road.
We went through something pretty similar with our son. Dentist brought up braces when he was barely 9, and it really caught us off guard. Like you, we decided to see an orthodontist directly before making any decisions. Glad we did, because the orthodontist explained that sometimes dentists suggest braces early to prevent bigger issues down the line—but in our son's case, it wasn't urgent. He had some crowding, but nothing severe enough to warrant immediate intervention.
I think dentists genuinely mean well, but orthodontists just have more specialized training on timing and necessity of braces. It's definitely worth getting that second opinion from someone who focuses exclusively on orthodontics. Plus, waiting a bit gave our son time to lose a few more baby teeth naturally, which made the whole process smoother when we eventually did get braces around age 12. Every kid's situation is different though...so it's good you're taking your time to figure it out.
