At the start of every orthodontic journey, patients are assessed thoroughly. Various digital images, x-rays, and diagnostic tools determine what’s happening with dentition and how much teeth need to move. Your orthodontist is as accurate as possible when predicting how long treatment will take from start to finish, but there are cases where braces take longer than expected and a few more weeks or months may be necessary. Find out why.
Plenty of kids get anxious about going back to school every fall. If they have braces or a palatal expander or any sort of orthodontics, things can feel even more tricky. Here are just some of the methods you can employ to help your child adjust to their developing smile as they move around their peers, teachers, classes, and activities.
Braces straighten crooked teeth, align smiles, close gaps. However, there are various circumstances that cause teeth to go crooked again. Quite often it’s non-compliance (hello, retainer) and sometimes it’s the age and stage of life. Find out what can be done to fix crooked teeth after braces, even if it’s long after you’ve worn them.
Kids can’t get braces until all their baby teeth fall out. If they’re lucky, their adult teeth have erupted in a perfectly aligned position and delivered a healthy, pain-free smile for life. Most kids, though, need some sort of orthodontic intervention. If baby teeth are hanging tight, that journey to an aligned smile will take longer than anticipated and likely involve braces.
While orthodontic treatment may seem daunting at first, most patients get used to their braces quickly. The appointment when brackets are secured to teeth and initial archwires are put in place is the lengthiest visit you will have – and this visit also starts your relationship with your developing smile and orthodontic team. You’ll be proud of your braces before you know it, for many reasons.
Every child is different. Their baby teeth erupt and are lost at different times. Some children have all adult teeth by age 10, others take longer. What matters first, though, is whether there is enough room for their teeth, now and later. If space needs to be made, a palatal expander may be necessary.
No orthodontist expects patients to be 100% knowledgeable about Invisalign – that’s what they’re there for after all. However, there is plenty of conflicting information online, and even from former or current Invisalign patients, that can make you confused about the treatment and its benefits. Get the scoop from the expert and never think of your Invisalign questions as stupid. The only silly thing is not asking your questions at all.
For some people, summer is sacrosanct. It’s sun and vacation and relaxation and nothing else – no appointments or obligations. For others, this is the time to get things done or, in the case of braces, to get things started. Whether teen or adult, conventional braces or Invisalign, orthodontics do not have to interfere with whatever you have planned for the warmest months of the year.
There isn’t one timeline that tells you how long it’ll take for you to get used to Invisalign. Knowing what to expect and having some quick tips on hand to ease the journey, however, will improve the experience and help you adjust.
Parents with more than one child who needs orthodontics will likely find themselves discovering that each child’s dental development will vary, just like the rest of their development. Gender sometimes plays a role, or dental genetics could impact the right time for braces. Here are some of the basics to know as you fill your schedule with orthodontic appointments for expanders, braces, Invisalign, or retainers.
