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Last Updated on December 10, 2024
It is estimated that up to 70% of children will need some sort of corrective orthodontic treatment before the age of 18. For this reason, countless mothers across the country and confused and are overwhelmed with navigating the world of pediatric orthodontics
One of the most common concerns for moms is having a strong understanding of when the right time is for their child to get braces. When it comes to corrective orthodontics, proper timing plays a crucial role in ensuring your child’s long-term dental health and can even help avoid more complex and costly treatments later on.
We decided this topic was important enough to take a deep dive into with the intention of helping mothers understand the milestones to look for, the signs that your child might need braces, and how to prepare for the orthodontic journey.
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Why Braces May Be Necessary for Your Child
Braces today are commonly associated with straightening teeth, but they in fact do much more for the patient.
Orthodontic treatment can address a wide range of dental problems that, if left untreated, may affect your child’s overall oral health at some point down the road.
The most common issues that braces correct include the following:
Malocclusion (Misaligned Bite)
This, as you might have guessed, refers to bite problems, such as overbite, underbite, and crossbite. Issues such as these can impact chewing and speaking, as well as overall comfort.
Crowding
When there isn’t enough room for all the teeth to properly align in the mouth, children can experience crowding do their teeth. This case can lead to crooked or overlapping teeth, which tends to contribute to discomfort and an unwanted crooked smile.
Spacing
Some children have gaps between their teeth due to missing teeth or smaller teeth, which is referred to as spacing. Braces are a fantastic answer to spacing correct and aligning the gaps.
Overall, addressing these issues early on can drastically decrease the chances of future dental complications and provide your child with better oral health, a more aligned smile, and improved self-esteem as a result.
Ideal Age Range for Orthodontic Evaluation
Now, the question that plagues parents is when they should really start thinking about braces for their children.
According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), children should have their first orthodontic evaluation by the age of 7.
While most children won’t need braces this early, an initial screening at least allows an orthodontist you trust to monitor the development of your child’s jaw and teeth, spotting any potential problems as or before they develop.
The primary reason for these early evaluations is that around this age, children typically have a mix of baby teeth and permanent teeth. This makes for an ideal time to catch issues with jaw growth or tooth alignment as permanent teeth start to poke their way through.
Early intervention and corrections can guide the development of the jaw and help ensure the teeth come in straight, reducing the need for more extensive treatment later down the road.
Signs That Your Child Might Need Braces
Another extremely important question that parents ask at some point in their child’s life is whether or not they should pursue corrective orthodontics.
There are several indicators that your child may need braces, with some being more visible to the naked eye, while others may be noticed by a dentist or orthodontist during a check-up.
Visible Dental Alignment Issues
The most obvious and visible signs include crooked or overlapping teeth, noticeable gaps, or overly-crowded teeth.
If your child’s teeth appear uneven or misaligned, even if only a little bit, it might constitute a consultation with an orthodontist at some point in the near future.
Jaw and Bite Issues
Problems with the way your child’s teeth meet when they close their mouth are another red flag to look out for as their permanent teeth come in.
If your child has an overbite (where the upper teeth significantly overlap the lower teeth) or an underbite (where the lower teeth protrude in front of the upper teeth), braces might be the best bet to correct these types of alignment problems. Other si
Liar bite issues include crossbites and open bites, which can affect chewing and even speech.
Additionally, if your child experiences any type jaw pain, popping sounds, or difficulty chewing, these could be serious signs of misalignment that an orthodontist should evaluate.
The Stages of Dental Development
Having a strong understanding of your child’s dental development process can help you determine the best time for them getting braces. Dental development typically happens in a couple distinct stages.
Baby Teeth vs. Permanent Teeth
Baby teeth are basically just placeholders for permanent teeth.
Around the age of 6, children start to lose their baby teeth, with permanent teeth growing in to replace them in no particular order.
Children typically lose all of their baby teeth by the age of 12. This transitional period is an absolutely critical time for evaluating the need for braces, as orthodontic intervention may be necessary to guide the alignment of the incoming permanent teeth and the quicker the need for braces is recognized, the better and quicker result you’ll see.
The Role of Jaw Growth in Orthodontics
Your child’s jaw growth also plays a significant role in their orthodontic needs.
The jaw continues to grow throughout childhood and into adolescence, impacting how teeth are aligned. Orthodontists often monitor jaw growth to determine the best time to begin treatment, if it is necessary.
In some cases, early intervention can even guide the jaw’s growth in such a way that the patient can avoid more invasive treatments later on, which is the better option in every case.
Early vs. Late Orthodontic Treatment: What’s Best for Your Child?
One of the biggest decisions parents face when it comes to their children’s braces is whether to start the orthodontic treatment early or wait until their child is a little bit older.
Both approaches have their advantages.
Early Intervention and Its Benefits
Early orthodontic treatment, also known as interceptive treatment, typically begins around the age of 7 to 10.
This type of approach is particularly beneficial for children with severe bite problems or significant issues with jaw growth.
Early intervention can help guide the growth of the jaw, correcting alignment issues and making later treatments shorter and less complex And expensive.
So, for example, a palatal expander can be used to widen a child’s upper jaw while it is still growing, creating more room for teeth to align properly and create that perfect smile.
Delayed Treatment: When Waiting Might Be Better
In some cases, it’s just best to wait until all of your child’s permanent teeth have come in before starting orthodontic treatment.
This is typically around the age of 12 to 14. The thought process behind delayed treatment until the child is older is that is allows the orthodontist to address all the issues at once.
This often results in a single phase of treatment rather than multiple stages. Waiting may also lead to better long-term results as the jaw and teeth have fully developed.
Delayed treatment is typically for children who have minor issues and whose parents might be in the fences about treatment in general.
Preparing Your Child for Braces: What to Expect
Getting braces is a significant step for any child, and just like any big step in a child’s life, it’s probably best to prepare them both mentally and physically for the process.
The Process of Getting Braces
So, the first step is an orthodontic consultation, during which the orthodontist will take X-rays, impressions, and possibly a 3D scan of your child’s mouth based on their capabilities and the the parents wishes.
Based on these diagnostic records, the orthodontist will create a treatment plan tailored to your child’s needs.
Once the plan is in place, the braces will be installed and the process will be started. This process typically takes about 1 to 2 hours and involves attaching brackets to the teeth and threading wires through them to gradually shift the teeth into alignment as they are tightened.
How to Help Your Child Adjust to Braces
While there is no one magic answer to this question, there are some things you can do to help.
The first few weeks with braces can be quite uncomfortable, but there are several ways to help your child adjust. Provide soft foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, and smoothies to make eating easier while their mouth gets used to the braces.
Additionally, orthodontic wax can be applied to any brackets or wires that are irritating the inside of the mouth.
Lastly, push your child to maintain a diligent oral hygiene routine, as braces can make it more challenging to keep teeth clean.
Long-Term Care and Follow-up Appointments
Once your child has braces, maintaining their oral health becomes the most paramount aspect of the whole braces process.
Maintaining Braces and Oral Hygiene
Braces require extra care to ensure food particles don’t get stuck in the brackets or wires, which can lead to plaque buildup and severe cavities.
Encourage your child to brush after every meal and use a floss threader to clean between their teeth, as it is absolutely necessary.
Regular orthodontic check-ups are also crucial to monitor progress and make any necessary adjustments, as well as tighten to braces so that they continue to straighten the child’s teeth.
Retainers and Post-Braces Care
Once the braces come off, your child will likely need to wear a retainer to maintain those hard-earned results.
Retainers help prevent teeth from shifting back to their original positions and should be worn exactly as instructed by the orthodontist.
Be sure to remind your child of the importance of wearing their retainer, as not doing so can undo all the hard work that was accomplished through the tedious months of wearing the braces.
The team over at Dobie Revolution, a family orthodontist in Hamden, has some great information on retainer care and confirms that not only wearing but maintaining your retainer is of the utmost importance. Replacing a retainer, or even worse, letting your teeth shift back in the wrong direction, can be an extremely costly mistake that will roll back the months of work the parent, the child, and the orthodontist put into that perfect smile.
Take a Deep Breathe, Trust Your Research
So many aspects of parenting can be so stressful and extremely confusing, including the whole braces question.
Take a deep breath, the fact that you are doing research and looking into getting your child the orthodontic treatment they likely need proves that you are doing the right thing.
While doing the research like what you are doing right now is so important, one of our first points is the most important.
Go seek the advice of a professional. Find an orthodontist you trust.
Once you’ve gotten a few opinions, you’ll be confident in what is the absolutely best route for your child.
