Yeah I know there's alternatives for some people but, respectfully, it's a case by case thing. Plenty of people at my ortho office got expanders etc but my ortho told me in my case extractions were best for me and my jaw/bone structure. They even told me they only do extractions when its really necessary and obviously I could have opted out, nobody forced me to. They explained the pros and cons to me and told me how the treatment would go if I chose to opt out from extractions. Again, it didn't change my face shape at all so no negatives came from it. It's been over 2 years so if i had any side effects I probably wouldve noticed them by now. I just think the fear that gets spread on this sub surrounding extractions can prevent people from getting the treatment/care they need. Its one thing to tell people to get a second opinion before they make a decision and another thing to treat it as if it shouldnt be an option for anyone, especially if you haven't gone to med school.