Crossbite and Braces for 8 Year Old?

Sometimes I think dentists and orthodontists suggest treatment options to pad their bank accounts. Braces for baby teeth? No way. I'd wait until all her permanent teeth have arrived before shifting them.

I'm 34 and still wear my retainer at night! I wore braces on my permanent teeth from the middle of the seventh grade to the beginning of ninth. I stopped wearing my retainer for a few years but started to get a small twist to a lower incisor. I mashed my retainers back on and they mostly fit but it was tight and in about eight weeks the twist is reversed! I wear my retainers at night because I don't want it to shift back.

What they are talking about doing now is considered Phase 1. They do Phase 1 when the child still has baby teeth. Then, when the adult teeth are all in (molars), then they re-evaluate for possible Phase 2.

If her bottom teeth are a combination of adult and baby teeth, she may need to do the Phase 1 now so that the adult teeth straighten out. If you wait for all of the baby teeth to fall out, she will probably have to wear the braces longer and it may be more uncomfortable. Right now the adult teeth are fairly new and will move easier than if you wait for several years.

My ortho does everything possible to not put braces on until they have lost all of their baby teeth. I appreciate this because I would hate to do braces in phases.

My 25-year-old had two sets of braces starting at age 8 so this isn't anything new. It prevented us from having to have teeth pulled and major dental work. If you don't like the idea get a second opinion. I'll bet the next one you get will be the same.

Ds is in the inbetween part of phase 1 and 2 I'm good with it, it made a lot of sense to me and it was short and not terrible for Ds. so no not tooo young for that.

I am however super surprised at the expander at age 4.

Even if it is cosmetic, I think I would still do it. and i'm not a vain person but a great smile can really be a confidence booster.

Ditto Nicole P. below.

Braces are either cosmetic or for structural problems of the teeth/jaw.

When I was in 7th grade, I had braces for 3 years. Also had to extract several teeth for it.
Now as an adult, MANY years later, I STILL need to wear a retainer. Otherwise, my teeth, shifts. Wanting to go back to its original placement etc.
My Dentist, even without telling him my braces history and for what kind of bite... KNEW why and accurately deduced, my mouth/teeth situation. And yes, I need to wear a retainer at night, for the rest of my life. Or else, my teeth will, shift. If I do not wear my retainer, nightly, within one day my teeth shifts and the retainer will be tight.
And this shifting, is normal. Meaning, my Dentist said that, the jaw/teeth is NOT static. It shifts and per age and growth and a jaw naturally does this. It is not a static, body part. So, meanwhile, braces are NOT "permanent." I also know an adult, who recently had braces again. Because, her teeth shifted and she wanted to, for cosmetic reasons, get braces again.

But sure, individuals vary. And their mouth.

In the USA, braces are commonplace. And seems to be a thing that all kids get and do. But in other countries, braces are not as commonplace nor "mandatory."

Inevitably, get a 2nd or 3rd opinion.

My daughter is getting her first phase off this month. Her permanent teeth were coming in over the wrong baby teeth, baby teeth not coming out on their own, major crowding, they had to shift the jaw as well. I was floored at her xrays. They did the braces at 9 to move teeth around to give the permanent teeth a fighting chance. We have numerous baby teeth pulled because the darn things just dont want to come out. Anyway her 2nd phase will go on after all her permanent teeth are in, in about 2 years. I will say that her mouth already feels better as there was some pain for her with all the overcrowding and so forth. The orthodontist we go to really explained things and went in great detail over the xrays. I could see for myself her mouth was a mess, even her dentist who pulled teeth to try and help spacing so we could avoid the orthodonist finally conceeded and referred us. So for us it was the best choice to start young.
Many blessings and good luck

The orthodontist should be able to explain it more clearly for you but with a crossbite, there is more success if they do it in phases. The first phase is usually after the 6 year molars are in, at around age 7. It's usually shorter and cheaper than traditional braces, under a year, and then they go in for a longer period of time after the 12 year molars are in. Some kids end up needing further treatment at around age 18.

My two youngest sons have crossbites that are under bites. One has braces now (he's 9) and the 7 year old will be either this year or next, depending on when his molars come in. Both will do round two at around age 12 and hopefully that will be it. I had the same problem they do and it wasn't addressed until I was a teenager. I had an expander and braces and still ended up having surgery to reduce my lower jaw, which requires a day in the ICU, 4 days in the hospital and having the jaw wired shut for weeks.

The position of the teeth is more than cosmetic as it determines how the jaw open and closes and can throw the jaw out of alignment, causing joint pain and damage and other health issues.

ETA: People who had braces to correct things that are related to the teeth and not the jaw don't understand the differences between the two modes of treatment. Of course if all you needed braces for is to correct spacing or overlap of the teeth, turn a twisted tooth around, etc. then treating children seems insane. My two oldest need braces for those kinds of issues and we haven't done them yet because their problems can be fixed at 12 of 22 or 50. When people have jaw problems, orthodontics for children allows the process to take advantage of the natural growth of the child's face to guide the teeth into the optimal position to preserve the integrity of the joint and encourage the jaw itself to grow correctly.

I imagine braces now, to keep her teeth from going in far enough to affect other aspects of her mouth... Maybe.it will make chewing hard, or her jaw to be in a weird position. Maybe to hold them in the right position, so when they fall out they leave gaps in line for the permanent teeth. I don't really know, just possibilities I think may be the reason.

When she is older, she would need them to align the permanents.

I think this is just how the orthodontists are doing things these days. My daughter had a retainer when she was 8 and is getting her braces on in a couple weeks and she is 13 now. My son just got his "phase 1" braces last week and he is 11. I had braces as a teen for 3 years and twice as an adult for teeth that shifted. Hopefully the way the orthodontist is planning out my kids orthodonic care will work out better for them.

Her bones are forming now. She needs the corrective stuff done as soon as she can. As for the other stuff....it may or may not have to be done if this is done right. I'd make sure the work done now is the best it can be and that they address any issues that might come up later. Maybe they can do this corrective stuff then move directly into the braces.

When she is getting her adult bones and stops growing as much that's when the braces will do the best to make the teeth perfect. The bones are getting finished now, that's why that work has to be done first.

I can not say for sure in your case, you would need to talk to your ortho, but my son (9) is currently in top only braces (just the front teeth). The goal is to move them into position therefore allowing the rest of his teeth to hopefully come in fairly straight, either eliminating or at least shortening the duration of braces later on.