What Braces Color Should I Get
Oftentimes after your children have had a dental visit, your dental office may recommend getting an appointment at an orthodontic office to find out about children’s braces. This can lead people to ask all sorts of questions when it comes to child braces, such as our children’s braces effective? Should I get braces for my little one or should I wait? Do I need braces before they become teenagers? When can kids get braces anyway? Does it cost money to find out teeth that need braces? And what’s the youngest age when should kids get braces?
It’s a valid question to ask whether your child needs braces. In fact, there are studies looking to compare the skeletal maturity between different groups of children based on their calendar ages and the types of malocclusion in an attempt to answer the question more precisely (Flieger R et al., 2018).
Children’s braces
There are many other questions that parents ask and these things can oftentimes feel conflicting when looking around online. However, there is good news and that is that there are many highly qualified pediatric orthodontists available who can help steer you in the right direction. The best way to get acquainted with an orthodontic office is to simply schedule a free consultation with your local one.
Does Your Child Really Need Braces? Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels
Should I get braces?
Many high-quality orthodontic offices like Ivanov Orthodontics offer these free consultations so you can find out a bit about the office itself, the orthodontic credentialing of the doctor, and whether they have pediatric orthodontic certifications. Perhaps the most important part is learning what orthodontics may look like for your child. They can also help to answer any questions that parents have when it comes to orthodontics. Estimating the child’s growth potential is another important factor when considering effective actions regarding orthodontic diagnosis and suitable treatment protocol (Flieger R et al., 2018).
When should kids get braces?
Some people often ask the question of whether they can begin getting their child orthodontic braces when they are still seven, eight, or nine years old. This is a common question since many parents feel that if they need to get orthodontics for their child, then sooner is better. Research shows that the average age for children with malocclusion is much higher for class 3 malocclusions in comparison to class 1 or 2 (Flieger R et al., 2018).
However, modern research is showing that although it is possible to get braces at this age, braces are most effective when they are put on in the tween and early teen years, between the ages of about 11 through 13. This is because by this stage, depending on the child, all the baby teeth have fallen out and now they are left with the adult teeth. However, the child is also still young enough that the teeth and jaws are still growing and forming, making this an optimal time to be able to begin working on correcting any orthodontic problems.
Teeth that need braces
Then the next natural question is why go to an orthodontic office before 11 or 12? The answer to that is it’s important to make sure of a couple of things – firstly to find out if your child will actually need child braces orthodontics at that age. By finding out ahead of time, you can start to make a plan about what your child’s future oral health needs will be.
Also, it can help you have time to be able to pick out an excellent orthodontic office that you trust and like to be able to do the work when the time comes. Furthermore, it can also help you in your budgetary needs find out how much the cost will be, and what the ongoing costs will be to help protect your child’s oral health.
Child brace
Finding out these costs in advance can allow you to prepare for them ahead of time without them becoming last-minute surprises. And of course, visiting your dental orthodontic office regularly, can also give you a good indicator as to whether your child will actually need proper braces or if you can simply utilize something like Invisalign or retainers instead of mounting brackets. Finding out this information ahead of time can be crucial as fixing problems after they have developed is always more expensive than preventative medicine.
Children braces
Although around the ages of 11 to 13 are by far the most common ages for braces, this doesn’t always tell parents about what type of braces is best. The fact of the matter is that for this age group, the best type of braces is most often traditional metal braces. This is because traditional metal braces are the most cost-effective of all types and kids at this age are oftentimes significantly less self-conscious or concerned about aesthetics than they will be in their later teen years or early adult years.
Many kids actually even like the idea of being able to pick the different colored brace bands to match their favorite school colors, holiday colors, or their own personal favorite braces colors. This can make getting braces something fun that kids can look forward to and enjoy as getting to change out their bands can oftentimes be an exciting part of a young teen’s sense of fashion. When you add to that metal braces come with the fastest treatment times, and they require the least amount of oversight from your teen themselves in maintaining them, this one is an easy pick.
When can kids get braces?
While some teens may desire child brace like Invisalign, the fact of the matter is unless you happen to have an unusually responsible child, it will probably be best to get something that doesn’t require them to remember and instead is working all the time whether they remember or not. Removable orthodontics like Invisalign is oftentimes lost by teenagers, damaged, or mishandled, and this can not only delay treatment but it can make it more expensive as you have to order replacements. Instead, it is usually far better to simply get traditional metal braces, or if they really feel a strong sense of needing better aesthetics, ceramic braces, since these require less direct maintenance and responsibility on behalf of your child.
Do I need braces?
Ultimately, these are all the sorts of things that you can ask at your free consultation when you can find out what the cost will be, what the prognosis and treatment times will be, and if your child even needs orthodontics in the first place. Finding out early will always lead to better treatment outcomes and faster treatment times than finding out late. To schedule an orthodontic visit as soon as you can and find out whether your child will benefit from orthodontics and how you can help protect your child’s oral health now and into the future.
Summary:
Many people who have some dental issues like poor teeth alignment or malocclusions may believe that they require braces. However, it is important to note that braces may not be the best option for you. To get the best answers you need the assistance of a trained dental professional.
There are things to consider before making this decision that you may not be aware of, but your orthodontist will. It is not uncommon for children to visit an orthodontist around 7 years of age to establish a baseline of what treatment would be needed. For many kids, braces are not needed right away, but other treatments might be. Your orthodontist will guide you and your child.
There are some great orthodontic appliances that work best for teens and adults, namely Invisalign, while other tools are perfect for kids, like headgear or palate expander. Plus, sometimes kids can use select orthodontic appliances that will mean they don’t need braces later.
In summary, it is important to be assessed by your orthodontist before deciding if you need braces and what type to purchase, if necessary. This will save you a lot of time and overall, you can be confident that your child’s treatment will be effective and without unnecessary complications.
Reference:
Flieger, R., Matys, J., & Dominiak, M. (2018). The best time for orthodontic treatment for Polish children is based on skeletal age analysis in accordance with to refund policy of the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ). Advances in clinical and experimental medicine: official organ Wroclaw Medical University, 27(10), 1377–1382. https://doi.org/10.17219/acem/69976
