The Ultimate Guide to Braces in Children
One of the most commonly encountered dental problems in children is misaligned or crooked teeth. The best solution to this issue is getting braces for your child. You’d be surprised to learn that several children get excited merely at the thought of getting braces because it signals the world that they’re ready to become teenagers!
As a responsible and loving parent, your mind might be plagued with a million questions about braces. This article will touch answer every question in your mind about braces and help make the transition easier for both you and your child.
How to Know If Your Child Requires Braces?
Braces are a more popular dental treatment option nowadays than they were a few years back. Due to increased awareness about poor diet, fluoride deficiency, and teeth eruption pattern in children, braces have become a socially acceptable dental treatment option. Your child might need to visit an orthodontist for a braces consultation for the following reasons:
-Excessive overbite and overjet
-Thumb sucking
-Tongue thrusting
-Inability to chew food properly
-Crowded teeth
-Abnormally occluding teeth
-Jaw disproportionation
If you notice any of the above signs and symptoms in your children, it is time for you to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist. An orthodontist is a dentist who specializes in correcting the misalignment of teeth. An orthodontist is the best judge of whether your child requires braces or any other form of treatment. Malocclusion and overcrowding are commonly seen after the age of six.
Therefore, we recommend you to take your child for an orthodontist consultation once they hit the age of seven years. The earlier you pick signs of malocclusion, the easier the treatment becomes. Early detection and treatment of malocclusion also gives you plenty of time to monitor how the orthodontic treatment is progressing.
Children are given braces only after the age of 12 after they lose all their milk teeth. To prevent any malocclusion from escalating, the orthodontist or a pediatric dentist might recommend an interceptive treatment action which includes introduction to habit breaking appliances. Another example of interceptive treatment is - palatal expander that ensures your child’s permanent teeth emerge at the correct position.
What to Expect from an Orthodontist Visit?
When you first take your child to visit an orthodontist, they will carefully examine your child’s jaw and teeth. They’ll also check how your child bites their teeth together and ask questions about your child’s habits such as whether he/she still sucks their thumb.
Based on the clinical examination, the orthodontist will take a full-mouth x-ray to validate the position of the teeth and whether there are any permanent teeth erupting at the wrong position. After checking the x-ray results, the orthodontist will formulate a treatment plan for your child and take the impression of his/her teeth.
What are the Types of Braces Available in the Market?
If you’ve just discovered that your child needs some braces, then you must be curious about the types of braces available in the market. With the plethora of options available, it can be tough to decide which type of braces will suit your child the best. Here’s the type of braces you can choose from:
1. Metallic braces: Metallic braces are traditional braces options that have metallic steel ties to hold the brackets in position. They can be a fun option for kids because kids can choose their favourite colour bands for the braces. It gives them the freedom to personalise their braces as per their style preference. Metallic braces are preferred by parents because they don’t need to remind their kids to wear them all the time. Depending upon the length of treatment and the degree of malocclusion, the orthodontist will tighten the braces every 4-8 weeks to correctly position the teeth.
2. Ceramic braces: Like the name suggests, ceramic braces are made out of ceramic which is a tooth-coloured material. They work exactly like metal braces but are much more discreet than the latter. Ceramic braces are an affordable and aesthetic option for families who don’t want to invest in aligners. That said, ceramic braces are larger than metallic braces and get stained pretty easily. Therefore, for them to retain their aesthetic value, you need to pay proper attention to their maintenance and upkeep.
3. Self-ligating braces: Self-ligating braces are an excellent choice for children and adolescents who are more sensitive to pain and discomfort and who cannot sit through long dental appointments. They work similar to metallic and ceramic braces and have tooth-coloured brackets. The only difference is that they use clips or doors to hold the brackets in place rather than rubber ties. Since they’re much easier to adjust than regular metallic braces, self-ligating braces can be tightened within short dental appointments.
4. Lingual braces: lingual braces of the most specialised orthodontic treatment available in the market but they’re also the least common ones. The reason behind this is they require special skill sets to install and are highly technique sensitive. These braces offer several advantages such as - full customization, complete invisibility, and excellent correction efficiency. They’re suited for all degrees of malocclusion but wearers might have some problems with their speech. However, with regular wear, such symptoms wear away in a few weeks.
5. Invisalign: Invisalign is a form of dental treatment that has taken the orthodontic world by storm. They’re becoming increasingly popular because they are completely transparent, removable, offer a shorter treatment length, easy to clean, and require lesser orthodontist visits. Invisalign is a great option for children who suffer from mild to moderate malocclusion with zero jaw alignment issues. They’re not suited for patients who have complicated treatment needs.
How to Take Care of Braces and Oral Hygiene in Children?
It is a hard enough task for parents to convince their child to set an oral hygiene routine but things get even more challenging when your child gets their braces. If your child has braces, you must ensure that they keep their braces from any damages and also prevent tooth decay and other dental problems.
Here are some tips and tricks to take care of braces and oral hygiene in children:
Brush Their Teeth After Every Meal
Braces have several hidden places where acidogenic bacteria can accumulate and cause tooth decay and other dental issues. To remove plaque build up and bacterial accumulation after every meal, it is important that your child brushes their teeth. If they’re unable to brush multiple times during the day, then tell them to clean their teeth by swishing water around in their mouth for a few seconds.
We recommend you to use a thin-bristle brush or a power toothbrush to clean around the braces. Use a fluoridated toothpaste along with the brush. If your child has metallic braces, then remove the elastic bands before brushing and angular the brush at a 45 degree angle to brush effectively.
Ensure that your child cleans every single tooth using back and forth strokes. You can replace the elastics of your child’s braces after they’ve finished cleaning their teeth.
Gentle Flossing
Flossing with braces installed generally takes more time but it is important to clean under the wire or the braces for full mouth cleaning. If your child feels uncomfortable using a regular floss, then consider introducing them to interdental brushes. Your child’s orthodontist can educate them how to clean their teeth using an interdental brush and even provide some samples.
Avoid Sticky Foods
Even though certain sticky foods such as candies might make a kid’s mouth water, it is important to stay clear of them because they can stick to your child’s tooth and lead to tooth decay. Sticky foods can also get stuck to parts of braces and cause severe damage to them while chewing.
Steer Clear of Crunchy and Hard Food Items
Just like sticky foods, it is imperative that your child avoids all types of crunchy and hard food items such as popcorn, certain fruits, etc. This is because such food items can get stuck to the inner parts of braces and cause the braces wires to break while chewing.
Regular Dental Visits
If your child has braces installed, then you’ll need to take him/her to their dentist for regular teeth cleaning sessions. Certain areas in the mouth can be difficult to clean due to the presence of braces.
Therefore, regular dental visits help prevent excessive plaque buildup and keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy. Your orthodontist might also advise your child to wear a mouthguard to protect their teeth if they play any rough sports.
What is the Cost of Braces in Children?
There are several factors to weigh in to decide the cost of orthodontic treatment in children. These include:
1. Dental Setting: If you choose to visit an orthodontic clinic in an urban setting then it is certainly going to be more expensive than visiting a doctor in a rural setting. That said, an urban clinic offers you better diagnosis and high-quality treatment options as well. Therefore, you’ll have to pay a high price to an orthodontist settled in an urban area for their time and expertise.
2. Medical insurance: Dental orthodontic treatment is considered to be an aesthetic treatment which is why many medical insurances do not cover it. However, if you do manage to acquire dental insurance that pays for orthodontic treatment, it will only cover the basic type of braces.
3. Types of braces: Metallic braces are the most economical form of dental braces but offer lesser aesthetic values. If your child is worried about the aesthetic aspects of the treatment, you can opt for the more costlier options such as ceramic braces, self-ligating braces, lingual braces, and clear aligners.
4. Time period for the treatment: The degree of malocclusion determines the orthodontic treatment time. Normally, this time period ranges anywhere between 12-24 months. The longer the treatment time, the costlier the treatment will be.
At the end of the day, it’s not about choosing the most affordable or the most aesthetic type of braces, it is about choosing the right treatment option for your child. To know more about the orthodontic treatment needs in children, visit your local pediatric dentist today!