How Orthodontic Affects Tics?

[JosyJoy]

My son, who is going to be 11, have serve crowding which block other permanent teeth to grow in right place. He still has many baby teeth which haven't been fallen yet.

 

Before I decide whether or not have him to have braces, I would like to ask comments from many of you about how orthodonitc affects tics, and will that go away. Do you think if it worths to do braces even it will trigger tics.

 

Thank you!

 

JJ

[Chemar]

Hi

some people are triggered by any dental/orthodontic work....

but in some instances, which appear to be related to TMJ problems, it can actually help reduce tics.

 

However, many have found that the metal mix braces are triggering. Not sure if you have the option to use the newer kinds that are not metallic?

 

So a very hard question to answer as it really depends on the individual and what the actual causes of their tics are.

If your child has been triggered in the past by dental work, be cautious imo

[emik]

Hello,

 

Here is our experience. My daughter (12) got her braces two weeks ago. Her teeth are actually nicely positioned, however she has an overbite. After a lot of debating, we decided to correct the overbite because we read some stories that correcting the overbite might actually help the tics...I am not sure if this is true, but we decided to take a chance. We are ready to take them out immediately if we notice ANY negative effects on the tics (although this may be easier said than done).

 

So far, other than the pain/discomfort she felt the first couple of days, we do not notice any change in the intensity or frequency of her tics. I am keeping my fingers crossed...I am still worried if there will be any negative effects when the teeth actually start moving...

 

Good Luck!

 

Regards,
Amy

[ilovedogs]

Hello, we did ortho on our son when he was 13 and had put it off out of the fear of worsening his tics, but in reality there really wasn't any true difference. He is now 15 and still waxes and wanes with his tics just like he did before braces. As he's aged, his tics have gotten worse at times, but I wonder if this is more attributed to just hormonal things, growth spurts, or even seasonal allergies for him. I swore I would take the braces off if things got really unbearable but they never really did. We're hoping that he gets them off within the next 6 months or so, I'm tired of going to the orthodontist every few weeks and we're already done paying for them, LOL.

 

 

[crazy]

My son got braces put on yesterday due to spacing issues. He was very self conscious of his gaps in his teeth. I noticed when he got home from school yesterday that he has developed a new tic. It sort of is a lip pucker. His normal tic is an eye wink. He is doing the typical facial thing that everyone does when first getting braces (the office informed me). I was worried deep down before we put on the braces. I have never truly found triggers for my son other than lack of sleep makes things worse. I have a horrible feeling because I am worried. I hope it stays mild and goes away. I know getting braces is a huge adjustment mentally and physically. He needs to wear them for about 16 months. He does take Topamax and had great success till puberty hit, then the tics started to overpower the meds. They are not severe but I still worry because it is such an awkward age and kids can be mean.

[Bigal]

As mentioned above, braces could potentially help some people with Tourette's. I think it is most likely to help those with an overbite.

 

My son, who is now 12 1/2 got braces about 6 weeks ago. This is after wearing a mouth appliance based on the style that Dr. Stack made. He wore the appliance for about ten months and his tics became much less frequent. My son and I were delighted with the improvement. The dentist explained from the start though that ultimately we would need to get him braces to permanently correct his overbite.

 

About two months ago, the appliance broke for the second time. The dentist said he couldn't fix it because it broke because of changes in my son's mouth. We could either get another of just get braces.

 

So now we have braces, with elastics. I'd say that until about 5 days ago, the reduction in tics was maintained. But they have started to come back now. Nothing terrible, but enough to be worrisome.

 

So from what I know about all this, it appears that correcting an overbite can help tics. It did help my son. But I'm not sure if braces are as effective as the appliance for tics. I would think that it should be, but that hasn't been my experience so far.

[mathmom]

Bigal,

We have a couple of years' experience with Dr. Stack's appliance therapy. We flew across the country to see Dr. Stack. We have very good success with tic reduction--probably 80% overall. We replaced the appliance with two other types of appliances locally after they broke or my son's mouth changed too much for continued use. It's very important to understand that the goal in reducing tics is not necessarily eliminating the "overbite" but in changing how the jaw fits and moves to relieve pressure on the large bundle of nerves that runs behind the jaw and in front of the ear. Usually, the goal is to move the jaw some combination of forward/down. Both "forward" and "down" (jaw more open) have an effect on my son's urges. Moving just the teeth can correct an "overbite" but may or may not have a good effect on this jaw alignment. It could even have a detrimental effect by causing worse jaw alignment. In my son's case, orthodontics will be the second phase of his treatment, to "lock in" the change down the road. We were warned by Dr. Stack that if the orthodontics are done without a knowledgable orthodontist, we could undo all our progress and re-trigger the whole thing.

[crazy]

My son has had his braces on for almost 6 weeks now. He had a new tic the day he got the braces on but it was gone by the next day. After a few days his winking tic disappeared, he has had this mildly for many months. I was happily surprised, I was thinking maybe this is going to help with the tics. Well about 4 days ago the tic came back with a vengeance. He has a very hard wink that moves that also moves his mouth. He also looks like he is chewing gum but he is not. It is non stop. He drank Mountain Dew early in the week, much to my disapproval, the next day he had the tics. I have no idea if it is related, caffeine has never affected him before but we limit it either way because it not good for him in general. He eats a decent diet, takes magnesium, B6 P-5-P, multi, l-carnatine (during flare ups) and Zyrtec. He also is on Topamax. He has been on it for 5 years with good success. I think puberty is a cause of the regular winking tic. I also feel he may need to increase his dosage due to his weight, he has increased his dose yearly because of growth. When he began the medication he was a 60lb little boy, now he is a 140 lb man at 13. I think he handles the tics well, at that age I think I would be a mess, crying all the time and hiding from people. He hates having them but does not hide from them. He is very successful in school and in sports.

Any advice, tips or encourages words are always helpful for this stressed out mom.

[Chemar]

Hi Crazy

Mountain Dew is a mix of many substances that are triggers!....especially the HFC and the Yellow 5 dye aka tartrazine.

[Bigal]

Mathmom, thank you very much for that input. I knew much of that, but not completely. The ortho that I am using has consulted with Dr. Stack. So I hope that he knows what he is doing. As of right now, Wyatt's tics are as bad as they've been in a long time. The ortho said that he would call Dr. Stack tomorrow. I copied your response and emailed it to the ortho.

 

Thanks again

Alan

[mathmom]

Alan,

Sometimes in treating theTS it's necessary to move the jaw so far forward that an underbite results, at least for a while during the period where there is still "splinting" going on from wearing the appliance. Most orthodontists will be alarmed by this. It's important to have an orthodontist who agrees that life function comes first.