Need Advice About Dental Headgear for 6 Yr. Old

My daughter had to wear a headgear for several months when she was 8 years old for an underbite. At the orthodontic evaluation, the orthodontist explained that if we didn't get the problem corrected while she is still growing when she stops growing and wants to get her mouth repaired, her jaw would have to be snapped apart to be realigned which would cause her mouth to be sealed shut for a few weeks until the bones heal. It wasn't a scare tactic, it was the reality of the situation. I was fortunate in that she understood how important it was to get the work done at that time. I had no problems throughout her treatment that lasted a little less than 2 years. Good luck!

I would get a second opinion and not mention the head gear.. see what they recommend. Our daughter was told she had to wear it also, (among other things) and with the second opinion, the ortho said her problem wasn't that bad at all and it was completely unnecessary.
If it turns out that he has to wear it, since it's only at night and no one would see him wearing it, I would think it wouldn't be that hard on him...
Good luck!

I have a 4 year old daughter that had a Class 3 underbite. She has had the appliance on for 10 weeks now. She now has a positive bite and does really well with the headgear. She puts the bands on at night and we help her with the headgear. We had her decorate her headgear with stickers. She wears it only at home, not when she goes to sleep at Grandma's house or her friend's houses. Mostly so we don't lose it, but also so she doesn't feel self conscious. We have a nightly routine that we keep to as much as possible. We also reward her with inexpensive non-food items... like more stickers for her headgear when there is no fighting.

By the way, I read all of the other responses and a second opinion is always a good idea. Some of the other responses deal with a different type of headgear than what your orthodontist is recommending. Your son would be wearing an appliance that is attached to his upper teeth with the two hooks in front. The bands go on those hooks and attach to the "reverse headgear" to pull the teeth on the upper jaw forward.

Please speak more in depth with your orthodontist and at least one other orthodontist in your area. My daughter is very happy with her appliance. It did take about a week to get used to it, but it is doing the job and quicker than I thought it would. She was scheduled to wear it for 9 months, but the orthodontist thinks it will come off in 6.

The "Herbst Appliance" that was used on another child is for a different condition. I have 5 children and one child had that appliance. I asked if it would work in this situation... the answer was "no" because the conditions were different.

All of my chidren (except the twin to the 4 year old with the current appliance), my husband, and I have had orthodontist work over the years. I had headgear as a child too, but for a different reason. I hope this helps.

Go with your mommy instinct.

My second son had the exact same diagnosis, and our orthodontist recommended a retainer at night. Much less restrictive and intrusive than head gear, which my husband brought up as a possibility. The orthodontist said that head gear was pretty much an outdated form of treatment, and that was 14 years ago. The retainer did the trick! My son is now 21 years old with a great bite. :0) I would seek a second opinion. (And you should never tell the second opinion doctor about the first opinion doctor's advice.)

Hi A., I am an orthodontist. I have mixed feelings about headgear therapy. It has to be used to treat only certain situations. When a child or person have a mild to severe CL II malocclusion, it can be for three reasons: (1) the upper jaw is in the correct position and the lower jaw is too far back (2) the lower jaw is in the correct position and the upper jaw is too far forward and (3) a combination of the above... the upper jaw is too far forward and the lower jaw is too far back. I love to treat patients for the long haul so they not only look great when I finish but so that they'll look great even when they're 50+ and give them more than just straight teeth. Just some food for thought...if your son has his upper jaw in the correct position and the lower jaw is too far back, headgear will push his upper jaw back. As you age, your nose and chin continue to grow, so this may give your son a dished in appearance from the side as he ages. If his upper jaw is too far forward and his lower jaw is in the correct position, headgear can be an excellent tool to get the correct jaw relationship if he'll wear it. You can tell him that it is your little secret that no one else but you guys know about. If the upper jaw is too far forward and the lower jaw in in the correct position, another option is to take out two upper permanent teeth once they erupt, if he does not wear the headgear enough. Your son is also very young. Is he mature enough to deal with wearing headgear every day? Hope this helps!

Have you seeked a second opinion? I only say that because when my daughter was 1 1/2yrs. she was extremely bow-legged and I took her regular pediatrician he recommended taking her to a specialist. So, we did and they had braces made for her to wear at night. They were the most uncomfortable shoes with a bar attaching them in the middle. She would scream and cry at night and pull them right off!!! We did not know what to do. We read up on it and took her to a second specialist who gave us exercises to do with her twice a day. Now she is 6 and her legs are straight as an arrow!!! I know it has nothing to do with an over bite, however I just wanted to give you a little insight on how nice 2nd opinions can be. So before you put him in this headgear maybe see what another dentist thinks!!! There maybe a easier solution!!! Best Wishes!!!
W. E.

My 10 year old grandson just got braces off for an under bite and may have to have braces later on for any further problems. But, after a year, it did correct the problem. His 17 year old sister still has braces for her under bite but it was started alot later and just needed more time to make the change. However, their father, my son, now 41 began at a very early age of 4 with a process of splitting his upper palate which took about 3 years but was successful in widening his bite but did not fully correct the front teeth and their under bite. So, now he usually has a mustache to disguise the slight under bite. I think it's great that you're dealing with this now. Dentistry has come so far in the last 30 years that this is now a fixable problem. Sometimes little ones don't fully understand why they have to do things but I promise you, when he gets older he will not only understand but be happy he had a mom and dad that cared enough to have it taken care of. It never hurts to get a second opinion. Good luck

When my daughter was young it was recommended that she also wear "gear" to expand her jaw for more space. It was done. When she was older and needing to get regular braces I was ready to begin work with one orthodontist who wanted her started "yesterday", when the receptionist didn't want to submit the paperwork for my husbands flexible spending account the correct way, we left. I went to another ortho who said to pull 4 teeth, then another who wanted to do surgery to break her jaw, then another who wanted to do some other procedure. To make a long story short I took her to about 7 orthodontists until I found one that I felt most comfortable with. When he told me that he was the one others sent their "problems" to and believed to wait until the mouth is fully formed. We did, did not need surgery, did not need to pull any teeth, and my now 17 year old daughter has an awesome smile. I recommend to take her to other ortho's (recommended by others) and find one that you feel most comfortable with. My oththo said that with orthodontics there's not just one way to do the work.

My son went thru this similar routine for an underbite in his second grade year when he was 7 years old. What a miraculous change in his face when those teeth moved. His upper lip that was non visble became a full upper lip and his bite is wonderful. I would do it all over again in a minute. I took a positive and fun approach at our ortho visit and when he got to choose the color of his headgear I made mention on how much it looked like a Bionicle mask and that he should pick the color of his favorite Bionicle so he can play like he is a Bionicle when he wears it. I got lucky because his eyes got big like "Hey great idea" and he chose blue and couldn't wait to get his "mask". I guess what I am mostly trying to say is that we tried to make it into a game to get thru the nine months he had to wear it. I had a reward chart that had the hours on it (he had to wear it 10 hours or more a day) and so I encouraged him the more he wore it the sooner he got to get it off. He got reward for every week he made it thru and got $ towards earning a new Bionicle. Thank God for those Bionicles! We did have nights of tears and him saying I don't want to wear this anymore, but I would just rub his back and talk hinm thru the tears until he fell alseep. Once they are alseep they can't tell the headgear is on. The headgear was so light weight and flexible. When he would make it thru that night I would make a big deal and we would go mark another day off on his chart. Remain firm and positive and treat this head gear just like teeth brushing and vegtables...There is no choice but to wear it and get thru it. Good Luck and I hope all goes well

I had to wear head gear when I had braces. Because of my bite and molars coming in, I had braces twice. When I was 8-10 years and then when i was 13. The dr told me that I NEVER had to wear it to school, out of the house, etc. I just had to wear it when I was at home and at night. They told me that the more that I wore it the sooner I could get braces off and have a beautiful smile. I even wore my headgear to day care which I went to everyday after school. Hope that this helps.

Hello, A.,

There may a gentler and much more rapid approach to explore. Your son's underbite can be corrected with craniosacral work. If you are in the Pasadena area, we utilize Paracelsus Natural Family Health at ###-###-####. They have a craniosacral specialist there named Brenda Barnetson who has been quite successful with this exciting work.

My very best to you!

T.

Hi A.,
I have an 8 year old daughter who had a very bad underbite. Our orthodontist put her in the "mask" last summer. The success has been so great that she will have it off May 13th. Here is how it works: for my daughter, who had a narrow upper palate as well, she has a retainer like piece that is securred to her upper teeth. There are 2 small hook-like curves where rubber bands are attached. After she brushes her teeth at night, she hooks the rubber bands to the piece in her mouth and then onto to mask. There are support pads for the forhead and chin and she wears this all night long. She has never gone to school with the mask and does not wear it during the day. I have to say, the more hours it is worn, the more rapid the success. The appliance in her mouth does bother her at times, but it is not such a big deal. She is very proud of how well her bit has been corrected and I am so glad we did it when she was young!!

Hope this helps.

A.,

I haven't dealt with this as a mom but I dealt with it as a child. My mom explained to me that it was necessary to wear it so I'd grow up with a pretty smile. And she also told me that if I didn't wear it at night like I was supposed to that the dentist would start making me wear it during the day so I'd have to wear it to school too. So I wore it at night and shut up about it.

:-)T.

hi A.,
this email is from a mom of a 15 yr. and a 19 yr. old. both have regular dental visits and both had orthodontic care. my 15 yr. old daughter, however, needed it starting at the 2nd grade. luckily, not my son though.

i know you've requested comments how to explain your orthodontist suggestion to your child about wearing it and how to get him to wear it, but my initial highly experienced opinion is for you to get a 2nd opinion.

i had extensive dental experience as a child so am very attuned to the entire area. moreover, i was most selective in choosing our dentist and the kid's orthodontist and even interviewed a couple of orthodontists. it has paid off in spades.

it never hurts to get another opinion--especially from a member in the profession who is well-respected and thought of by other colleagues.
michele
santa monica mom and attorney

Hi A.: That's tough. I had to wear one when I was 13-14. I hated every minute of it. 2 of my kids needed them too. Luckily just at night. They were in 4th-5th grade. It might be hard for a 6 year old. Don't make too big a deal out of it. Just make sure he isn't teased by his sister. I never let anyone in the family see me in my head gear. I was so embarrassed. Maybe you could make a game out of it. Pretend it is a space alien disguise or something. My kids have great teeth now so he will thank you in the future. Good luck, Mary

Hi A.,

My daughter had to go through that at a young age, too. She also had to have a jaw spreader which creeped me out but didn't seem to bother her at all. I was just matter-of-fact with her and explained that this was just temporary but needed to be done. It's so easy to correct these problems when they are young, and almost impossible when they are older so it's great that you're handling it now. Also, kids obey more when they're young. Your son will adjust to it quickly so don't make it a big deal.

V.

Dear A.,

I have a daughter that is now 12 and has great teeth, straight and healthy.
She was 8 when one orthodontist recommended had gear, same issue class 2 under bite. I was very reluctant to do overnight head gear because I wasn't sure how her sleep will be affected. We went to an other ortho and we ended up with a Herbst Appliance.
This a gear attached to the roof of your mouth and the 2 bicuspids, needs adjustment every week with a little tool we used to tighten it. She had it for 6 months and worked great. In the beginning for the first 5 days it was very difficult for her to eat, even talk. She got used to it and had no problems after that.
I am not sure if this is for you, but at least you know there are alternatives and you can ask some questions about it.
Good Luck !