Son with down Syndrome and Severe Mental Challenges Needs Braces. Should We?

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if it was me, i wouldnt worry about him getting braces, if it doesnt hinder his eatting habits, i wouldnt. just because he cant tell you how hes feeling, and that the dentist doesnt know if it would work or not.
so if it was me i would worry about it

Hi,

I would be skeptical that your dentist recommended this for your son. Did he also recommend an orthodontist? Too many times I have heard the dentist and the ortho are connected to each other and send patients back and forth. If he cannot express his feelings and pain with words, why put him through this? It is one thing to give him his needed shots to keep him healthy because that is not going to be a lasting hurt, but braces are tough. If he does not understand why all of a sudden he cannot chew and has such severe pain but you are the one who brought him he might become angry with you. Since he does not have an issue with eating, I would just let him be. Don't put him through this.

Hugs!

Wow -that's a tough one. My first instinct was to say, "Sure -he needs straight, presentable teeth too," but after reading the whole post, I wonder if he'll be able to handle them. How does he handle and respond to pain? Does he have a high threshold or a low one? Does he have sensory issues? Not only can braces be REALLY painful (especially if the teeth are severely out of line), but the feel of them on the teeth and against the tongue and lips may bother him horribly. I think I would only do it if you're told it will greatly help his communication skills, and that doesn't sound like the case. I think the pain and irritation may be too much.

I would do a couple of things:
1. Get a second opinion from an orthodontist
2. Speak with your son's language therapist. She/he would have much more information on this topic and may even have gone through this with another child.
3. Contact your local ARC or your support group if you are already involved and see if they have any literature or referrals. I know that our local chapter maintains a listing of physicians and specialists who are comfortable working with children with severe cognitive delays and who are knowledgeable about what is "necessary" and what is "optional".

I am curious to see what others think about this as well. My youngest son has special needs and needs braces as well and I am debating whether or not to do it. I have already paid for 5 sets of braces for my other kids, and my experience has been that it wasn't very painful for any of the kids BUT keeping them clean was the hardest part. I just don't know that I can keep up with that part. Is there a possibility they can do part of the work with behind teeth wire retainers or mouth expanders? I am thinking about trying that first just to see how it goes . . .

Good luck!

All I can speak from is my personal experience with braces as a typical child take what you can from this. I was 14 when I had my braces put on the pain was minimal really it was only pressure that I felt no pain, I am pretty sure I was numbed for it. The first two days I was on some tylenol, mostly for first thing in the morning and PM type to ease into sleep. You are given wax (very plyable) to place on and around the braces while your lips/cheeks etc get used to it as well as on the inside while your tongue gets used to it. Once a month you get a tightening and that is not numbed but the pain is minor you may again want some tylenol, my dr even said I could take one or two before my appointment if needed, never needed. Once they were off if you actually USE the retainer you should not have any issues. I will not lie my best friend in highschool had braces for 6yrs and she finally gave up they NEVER helped. The first time she had them off in two months they started going back, with proper retainer wear then they were on for 4more years and did the same thing. Really it is up to you if you want to try it out, I say go for it but I had a good experience with it.

My completely neurotypical, responsible 16 year old has had braces for the last couple of years. Once, after his braces were "tightened" he had an excess of "chain" hanging off the back of his last upper tooth. It wore a HOLE inside cheek before he thought to tell me it was bothering him. By the time we got to the orthodontist it looked terrible - I was very afraid it was going to get infected.

He also has had to wear rubber bands religiously as well as a mask at night time. It is major work to keep his teeth clean.

I've got a younger child who is not so great with dental hygiene and I have been scared to death to put braces on him.

In your situation I would want alot more advice before I went forward on that project - you may want to consult with several orthodontists as well as your special needs communities (for tips, experiences, etc.).

Good luck.

My husband has a similar issue-can't bite thru a sandwich all the way with his front teeth since his molars meet up first! He's never had braces and just bites sandwiches and such with the side of his mouth/teeth and does just fine. I cannot imagine putting your son through something tedious and painful like braces.

If the problem is tongue thrusting, it will take a combination of braces, possibly headgear and elastics, and a lot of effort on his part to stop the tongue thrusting, in order to fix his teeth. I had braces for 8 years because I refused to wear the headgear at night (it was uncomfortable) and try to swallow correctly. Once I decided to wear the headgear and actually try, it took 1 month for my bite to go back to normal. I would definitely consider whether he is capable of doing that, because you don't want to be going to orthodontic appointments for the next 8 years, for sure!!

I am with all the other moms. It sounds like he has managed to eat and maintain a healthy weight with his teeth formed just the way they were. I had braces as a kid and I am grateful for my beautiful smile, but they HURT. I remember how they poked my mouth and sometimes they made me put additional rubber bands on them. I had to have a headgear at one point during it all. I remember being up at nights in so much pain b/c of my teeth moving. I was able to communicate any problems to my mom to take a break from something that was causing pain or try to fix a problem if a wire was poking me. There were so many little discomforts I was able to communicate. I think that it sounds like a bad idea. If anything, I would be sure that I had talked to a lot of professionals before I did it. I would want to talk to everyone invovled in his healthcare from multiple pediatric dentists and orthodontists to maybe therapists who see him such as an OT. At any rate, GOOD LUCK. It is so hard to make decisions for someone who cannot communicate what they want/need. I'll be thinking of you :-)

I don't have any personal experience with this, but my instincts say not to do it. Braces hurt and are a pain to clean, maintain and deal with in general. Especially since he's not having problems associated with the overbite, I see no reason to put him through what will probably be a scary, painful, several year ordeal, not to mention adding the additional work to your probably already full plate.