The Benefits of Wearing Braces as a Child Versus an Adult

Braces worn at any age takes up to two years to straighten on average. Designed to fit your mouth, they are customized to your mouth to place your teeth correctly. During your time in braces, many appointments and adjustments will need to take place. It’s not always comfortable, but it can prevent many issues down the road! Many people feel braces are easier to deal with when you are younger versus as an adult when you are busy working or raising a family.

Different ages react differently to wearing braces, especially when it comes to the psychological and social reactions to being in braces. Kids are often excited about their braces, seeing it as a rite of passage, transitioning from being a child to finally being a teenager. Teens and adults, however, often feel self-conscious wearing braces.

Summertime Is a Great Time for Braces

When it comes to children, getting braces is often best done in the summer because it gives them the leeway to learn how to treat their braces and care for them and adjust to how they feel in the mouth. When first getting braces, the gums and teeth can feel tender, and your child will need to learn how to eat with them and also clean them correctly. Placing your child in braces during the summer is often ideal because of the free time they have to adjust.

Receiving early orthodontic treatment allows our orthodontist to work on their growing smile, preventing more invasive treatments later on and possibly shortening treatment time in braces. Our orthodontist can spot growth or eruption issues to make sure your child has room for their adult teeth to come in properly.

Why Kids Wear Braces

Using orthodontic techniques, we can control where your child’s adult teeth erupt by training the bones to grow into the correct position, fixing issues in the jaw structure, and the facial structures for facial harmony. That’s why it’s important to evaluate their growing smile early so proper treatment can be implemented and timed for the most progress.

Some signs that might indicate that your child could need orthodontic intervention include late or early tooth loss, having misplaced or crowded teeth, or having issues when biting and chewing.

Benefits of Wearing Braces Early

• Better assess how their adult teeth will develop.

• Fix bad habits like thumbsucking or tongue thrusting that can lead to developmental problems.

• Fix bite problems.

• Guide jaw growth for the teeth that will erupt.

• Lower the potential risk of damage to teeth that are protruding.

• Improve how your child’s teeth, lips and face look (potentially increasing their self-esteem).

• Help prevent future invasive dental treatments down the road.

Does Your Child’s Growing Smile Require Orthodontics?

Our orthodontist can assess your child’s growth pattern to see if early treatment is recommended. Early treatment can help with the following tooth and bite conditions:

• Crowding

• Spacing

• Open bites

• Deep bites

• Crossbites

• Missing teeth

• Teeth that don’t erupt in the right order

• Overjets (where excessive protrusion of the upper jaw causes a horizontal overlap of the front teeth)

• Ankylosed teeth (where a tooth’s roots fuse to the underlying bone, so it doesn’t erupt properly)

Our Orthodontic Team Is Here for Your Child’s Smile

Early orthodontic treatment can help prevent bad habits like poor oral hygiene as you have to clean your teeth more often and more carefully in braces. Establishing good brushing and flossing habits in childhood help avoid dental problems later in life. Braces can also help improve breathing and jaw movement, prevent jaw pain, teeth grinding, and prevent breathing problems. Because the jawbone is not fully developed yet, wearing braces at a young age helps make treatment easier, quicker, and more effective while offering more treatment options.

As you can see, placing your child in braces does more than just boost their self-confidence! There’s no better time than summer to get your child used to braces. It allows them to be more comfortable when school starts up again, so they can focus on the new school year rather than on their new braces! Please give our team a call if you have questions about your child wearing braces.