Anytime is a good time to get braces, but the summer months are particularly convenient when it comes to getting braces for teens. Summer offers plenty of time to get in the groove of being an orthodontic patient so, once the next school year begins, your teen will be a pro at managing their braces, whether traditional metal brackets and wires or Invisalign Teen.
1. The opportunity to adjust.
Many teens prefer to blend into their surroundings, especially those who are on track to get braces. Instead of showing up to school one day with their teeth suddenly coated in hardware, giving your teen time to get adjusted to their braces will make their life easier. Summer gives them room to nurse their sore teeth and gums, get used to the feeling of braces on their teeth, learn to love how they look with braces, and accept the lifestyle adjustments that automatically come with wearing braces.
2. All that extra time.
It always seems like summer is a mountain of free time, but the hours are quickly filled by camps, sports, vacations, jobs, and other activities. Still, summer is one of the most convenient times for your teen to get braces for one big reason – no school. A relatively flexible schedule means it’ll be easier to make appointments with your Woodinville orthodontist. Plus, any discomfort or self-consciousness they may feel has room to work itself out in summer. Sure, they’ll still see their friends and engage, but summer affords them the opportunity to lay low when they want.
3. Plenty of distractions.
It can be hard to concentrate on schoolwork with new braces to adjust to. Summer makes far fewer demands performance-wise, and it affords plenty of opportunities for your teen to find things to distract them from the present. If the thought of getting braces is bringing your teen down, or they’re bummed out by the reality of wearing braces, there is always something to take their mind off the obvious, from the beach to the movies, amusement parks to carnivals, sleepovers to campouts, major travel to minor day trips.
4. Room to adjust their diet.
Wearing braces comes with food restrictions – unless you qualify for Invisalign for teens. Some of your kid’s favorite foods may be off the table for the foreseeable future, like popcorn, gum, pizza crust, and chewy or crunchy foods, to avoid damaging orthodontic hardware, or getting a bunch of food stuck in the brackets. Soft foods will be the diet for a little while, but in summer that’s easy to manage – there is an abundance of ice cream to help your teen get by. And they don’t have to be self-conscious about eating in the cafeteria.
Help Your Teen Adapt to Braces in the Summer
Braces are a commitment and a journey. Sure, they can be inconvenient at times, but their purpose is just and noble. You’re in search of strong, healthy, aligned teeth for your teen and, while they may not love the idea of spending their summer getting used to braces, they’ll thank you later for the opportunity to straighten their teeth at the right time for good oral health.
Find out what kind of braces for teens are right for your kids. Contact Soleil Orthodontics in Woodinville, Washington to schedule your consultation with orthodontist Dr. Soleil Roberts.