What is the Best Age to Get Braces for Kids?
/Components of Braces
Bands
The first part of braces to be applied are the bands. These bands are rings that fit all the way around the molars in the very back of the mouth. Orthodontists choose the right size of band for your child’s teeth and use dental instruments to give them a custom fit. Bands have metal attachments welded onto them to allow the archwire to pass through.
Brackets
Brackets are the small, square-shaped pieces that are attached to the teeth. The number of brackets your child has will depend on which teeth are being treated. Your orthodontist might choose to treat all the teeth, in which case there will be brackets on each one, or only treat a select few.
Each bracket is attached to each of your kid’s teeth with a special dental cement. Each bracket has a slot that will hold and support the archwire.
Archwire
The archwire is a metal wire in the shape of a semi-circle that the orthodontist will fit into each bracket and band in the mouth. The wire works to exert pressure on all your child’s teeth, and it is responsible for the continuous repositioning of teeth. Each time your child visits the orthodontist for an adjustment, the orthodontist will remove and replace the wire. They might choose to add new bends to the wire to encourage your kid’s teeth to move in a specific way or opt for a thicker wire altogether that will exert greater pressure on your little one’s teeth.
Rubber Bands
Once the archwire is in place and passing through each of the brackets, a rubber band will be wrapped around the bracket. This ties the wire in place and helps it evenly exert pressure on each of your child’s teeth. Each time you and your child visit the orthodontist, they will take the rubber bands off and replace them with new ones. The best part is that your kid can choose almost any color for their rubber bands! They can get a new color each time they visit to celebrate the seasons, holidays, and their own personal style.
Types of Braces
Metal Braces
These are the most common type of braces and are often referred to as “traditional braces.” Each of the components in them is made out of metal, and they’re the most common type of Best Braces For Kids.
Traditional braces today are different from the ones you may remember from your childhood. In previous decades, metal braces were very large and covered almost the entire tooth. Today, however, the brackets are a fraction of the size and far less noticeable. Metal Braces For Kids are also far more efficient than they were in past decades and move children’s teeth much more quickly and comfortably.
Ceramic Braces
Ceramic braces are a very common alternative to metal Types Of Braces For Kids. Instead of each of the components being made out of metal, they are made out of a ceramic material that is the same color and texture as teeth. Because of this, they are far less noticeable than traditional braces.
Lingual Braces
These braces are very similar to traditional braces. They are made of metal and have all the same working parts. The big difference is that they are not on the outside of your child’s teeth. Lingual braces line the inside of the teeth. They’re far less intrusive than traditional braces, and they are way less noticeable.
It does take some time to get used to brushing lingual braces, because your child has to be sure to spend more time brushing the insides of their teeth, which is not something most people focus on. Whenever someone gets braces, it takes some time to get used to speaking with them, but lingual braces can take a little more time to get used to because of how they are positioned. Despite this, they are a great option for people who want the effectiveness of braces with a bit more discretion.
Self-Ligating Braces
To the naked eye, self-ligating braces look like normal braces because they use the bracket and wire system. However, instead of the rubber band tie system, they use brackets with clips or doors that hold onto the wire. These braces are special because they are able to adjust themselves as your kid’s teeth move. Because they adjust themselves, they offer shorter treatment times and reduce visits to the orthodontists. Self-ligating braces are available in both traditional metal and ceramic versions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Best Age to Get Braces for Kids?
There is no specific age that should get Best Braces For Kids. It all depends on the individual and their specific needs. It’s a good idea to take your kid in for an orthodontic evaluation by the time they are 7 years old. Depending on the severity and causes of misalignment in your child’s teeth, the orthodontist can help you figure out the best course of action to give your child a healthy smile.
You want to make sure that your child gets braces after they have lost most of their baby teeth and most of the adult teeth have grown in. This usually is between the ages of 8 and 14. If your child is not yet ready for braces, but is having some orthodontic issues, the doctor may opt to use an interceptive approach, which involves using dental appliances at an earlier age. The dental appliances used are not always braces, but it helps the adult teeth growing in to have fewer issues that will need to be fixed with braces.
How Do Braces Move Your Teeth?
When the braces begin to exert pressure on your child’s teeth, there are two parts of their mouth that are most affected. These are the periodontal membrane, which is around the root of the tooth, and the alveolar bone, which the membrane is attached to. There is a biomechanical response called remodeling that dictates how your child’s teeth will straighten.
Understanding Remodeling
While it may seem like using stronger force on your kid’s teeth would help them move faster, that actually isn’t the case. Teeth remodeling happens more quickly when a lighter force is applied. The gentle, constant force causes one side of your child’s tooth to compress against the periodontal membrane, which creates positive pressure. At the same time, the other side of their tooth experiences negative pressure as it separates from the periodontal membrane.
The positive and negative pressure on opposite sides of their tooth causes two biological functions to happen: deposition and resorption. Together, these biological functions result in remodeling. Osteoblasts, which are bone growing cells, are produced on the side of their tooth where the periodontal membrane is being pulled away from the bone. This is called deposition. On the opposite side of their tooth, where it is being squeezed, bone destroying cells called osteoclasts break down the tooth. This part of the process is called resorption.
Resorption happens fairly quickly, in only about three days, while deposition takes about three months to occur. So while it seems like your child’s teeth are simply moving, they actually are being broken down and regrown in the right direction.
What Is the Process of Getting Braces?
Referral
If you think your child could benefit from braces, the first step is to talk to their dentist. Generally, dentists are able to recommend braces to patients who might need orthodontic care. Of course, you can also always simply call our orthodontic office and ask to meet with us. You’ll want to bring your child’s latest set of x-rays from the dentist for your orthodontist to look at.
Consultation
The first time you and your child meet with our orthodontist, you will have a consultation. This is the time to discuss all of your concerns with the orthodontist as well as what your goal is for treatment. The orthodontist will look at your child’s teeth and discuss the best options with the two of you. They will look at your child’s x-rays and might make a mold of their teeth to help them design the treatment.
Designing Treatment
After having a consultation with you and your child, the orthodontist will design a treatment specific to your child’s needs. Each treatment is individualized to best fit the needs of the client’s teeth. If the orthodontist took a mold of your child’s teeth, they will use it to create a mockup of the Best Braces For Kids.
Placing the Braces
The first appointment with the orthodontist will take longer than the rest because they have to place the braces. First, they will thoroughly clean your little one’s teeth and condition them. The conditioning can take anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour. Afterward, the teeth are primed for cement, and then the brackets are placed in predetermined positions.
Then, the wire will be placed. The orthodontist will start with a semicircle of wire and cut it to the right length. They might put some bends or kinks into the wire in specific places to give it more leverage over the teeth. Once the wire is inserted, the rubber bands are wrapped around the brackets to keep everything in place.
Adjustments
Your child will need to visit the orthodontist every three or four weeks for adjustments. During an adjustment appointment, the orthodontist will remove the wire. They may bend the wire again in new ways or insert a new wire. Orthodontists use new wires that are slightly stronger or have a different configuration to keep moving your child’s teeth in the ways that they need. As your child’s teeth are pulled and pushed in different ways by the wire, they will slowly move into the correct positions.
Find Out if Braces for Kids Are Right for Yours
Every parent wants their child to be happy and healthy. One of the easiest ways to help your kids get there is through Best Braces For Kids. You can make sure they have a healthy smile and that they experience the confidence that a perfect smile brings. Braces are more than the sum of their parts: they are an investment in your child’s future. For more information, or to schedule a consultation today, call Mas’ood Cajee DDS MPH in Manteca, CA.
