When can my child get braces? Early Orthodontics

If you have kids, you’ve probaby had a hard time figuring out when is the best time to get braces for them? What age do you have to get braces? Such questions are common whenever you want to know the right age to get braces for your child. Should you get braces at age 7 or maybe braces at age 8? Luckily for you, we have all the answers you need about braces for boys and girls. Elara Orthodontic in Richmond Texas is a facility filled with highly trained staff that provides excellent dental care. We are here to fulfill all the dental needs of your child as well as recommend to you the best cause of action when it comes to orthodontics.

If you are in Sugar land, we have a Sugar land children orthodontics center there as well to ensure that we help fix the dental profile of as many young ones as well. Keep reading to find out the right age to get braces, signs that indicate your child needs braces for kids, and the different types of orthodontic treatment available.

When should kids see an orthodontist

How regularly do you take your young ones to the dentist? We recommend you take your children at least once every six months to see the dentist. In case one of your young ones develops a dental problem that may require a visit to the orthodontics, the dentist will notice it on time. Additionally, the American Association of Orthodontist requires parents to take their young ones for evaluation by a professional orthodontist before the age for braces, which is 7 years old.

Does this mean that all children need to have an early orthodontics treatment by age 7, the age for braces? Not necessarily. Although the best age for children’s braces is 7, the evaluation will help to identify the orthodontic needs of your child, if there are any. This will allow them to begin the treatment early. Early orthodontic treatment in children is usually easier and less invasive compared to orthodontic treatment on an adult.

Maybe you have never taken your child to an orthodontist because you don’t knowwhen is the best time to get braces. Below are a few signs that indicate it’s time to take your young one to the orthodontist for kids braces.

According to American Association of Orthodontics there are several benefit to early orthodontics such as underbite, crowded teeth, and cross bite.

Thumb sucking

Although thumb sucking is not a definite sign that your kid will be fitted with braces for kids, it may affect the dental makeup of your child. This is especially if they began thumb sucking early on while the teeth were still forming. In some cases, thumb sucking causes the upper front teeth of the child to protrude outward. Also, thumb sucking may cause the bottom teeth to crowd thereby making your child need kids braces. If your child still sucks their thumb after age 4, we recommend you book an appointment with an orthodontist immediately for kids braces.

Crooked teeth

Does your child have crooked teeth? Maybe you have noticed your young one with slightly crooked teeth and you think it’s no big deal. However, kids braces can help to align the crooked teeth and give your child a brilliant bright smile. Lack of early intervention to deal with the crooked teeth may cause your child to experience dental pain in future. Prevent this from happening to your child by booking an appointment with Richmond kids orthodontics for kids braces.

Persistent mouth breathing

Have you noticed that your child breathes with their mouth open most of the time? While this may seem like a harmless act, extended breathing through the mouth may eventually have adverse effects on your child. Mouth breathing may cause your child to have a prolonged face with narrow jaws that do not provide adequate space for adult teeth.

When your child breathes through their mouth, their tongue rests at the bottom of the mouth, which eventually causes them to have a long face. Normally, the tongue is supposed to sit on the roof of the mouth and give the rest of the jaws ample space to grow. If your child displays continuous mouth breathing, then you might want to book an appointment at sugar land children orthodontics to have them fitted for kids braces.

Overcrowded teeth

If you usually take your young ones to the dentist regularly, then the dentist will be able to detect overcrowded teeth early on and set up an orthodontics appointment for your child. Does your child have teeth that overlap one another? This is a clear sign that you need to start looking up braces for kids online e.g. orthodontics near me. The earlier your child begins using kids braces, the faster and easier their teeth will straighten out.

Other signs that you need to book an appointment with a pediatric dentist in Richmond for both preventive dentistry and installation of braces for kids include:

Frequent cheek biting
Recessed jaw
Misplaced teeth
Early loss of baby teeth
Late loss of primary teeth
Jaws that produce sounds

When should kids get their braces

Are you wondering how old do you have to be get braces? The appropriate age for braces for both boys and girls is 7 years old. Braces are actually very common among both children and adults today. In fact, more than 4 million people in the United States wear braces, with 75 percent of them consisting of children. So, if you are unsure about getting braces for kids and you spend a lot of time researching how old do you have to be to have braces or when can you get braces, the perfect age is 7 and above. 7 is a great age to get braces for kids because most of their baby/primary teeth will have fallen out and majority of the adult teeth will have grown in.

There is no particular age limit for when boys and girls can visit an orthodontist. As stated earlier, the American Association of Orthodontists recommend young ones to visit from as young as 7. Although 7 is the proper age for braces, kids as young as 6 years are allowed to visit an orthodontist. Also, if you have boys or girls that are 10 years older or even teens that have never been to an orthodontist, you can take them to Richmond kids orthodontics for preventive dentistry and braces.

Why your child may need braces

If you are worried about your young ones getting braces at age 7 or braces at age 8, we assure you that you have nothing to worry about. Braces for kids are easy to look after since all they need to do is brush their teeth after every meal. Additionally, there are certain foods that your child will be recommended to avoid to have an easier time maintain the kids braces. Some of the foods to avoid when using kids braces include:

Gum
Popcorn
Hard candy

In case you are worried that your child may struggle getting used to the braces, it takes between 7 to 14 days to adjust to them. This is why 7 is the best age to get braces because it is easier for young people to adjust to kids braces compared to adults.

Earlier, we mentioned the major signs that you need to take your child to a Pediatric dentist in Richmond to determine whether your child will be fitted with kids braces. Below are the different ways in which the kids braces will benefit your child. They include:

Improved oral hygiene- Braces for kids require brushing of teeth after every meal. Your child will have an improved oral hygiene from brushing their teeth frequently. This will lower the risks of developing gum disease or cavities.
Proper chewing of food- the braces helps to align the teeth properly, which allows the child to chew their food better than before.
The kids braces help to reduce the wearing out of teeth because they minimize the clenching of teeth.
Kids braces are great for reducing the damage inflicted on jaw joints due to too much teeth clenching.
The kids braces help to significantly lower the risk of injury that protruded front teeth are prone to.
Braces for kids help to reduce lip strain and improve the lip closure of the child.
Kids with braces experience and improved width in their dental arches.
Braces for kids help to rearrange permanent teeth that would otherwise need to be eliminated or extracted by the dentist.
Braces for kids assist the child in regaining their self-confidence and having a positive self-image.

Instead of trying to figure out what is the best age to get braces, we recommend you book an appointment with one of our Richmond kids orthodontics centers to learn more about kids braces, have your child fitted with the best braces for kids, and restore their big wonderful smile to them in no time.

Best age to get braces

The right age to start braces is from 7 years old, as recommended by the American Association of Orthodontists. Some online sources will tell you that the age to start braces is between 10 and 14 years, while others will tell you the perfect age to start braces is 8 years old. Any age from 7 years old is a good age for braces. Braces work best when fitted early right after your child loses their baby teeth and has grown most of their permanent teeth. If at the age of 7 your child still has their primary teeth, we recommend you book an appointment at a Richmond kids orthodontists center for checkup. The average age of losing milk teeth and growing permanent teeth is 6 years old.

If you have teenage boys or girls that are in need of braces, you can take them to an orthodontist as well. There is no perfect average age for braces after 7 years old. As long as all their permanent teeth are grown, they can be fitted with braces any time after consulting with an orthodontist.

The amount of time your child wears their braces depends on the problem the orthodontist is trying to fix. The more complex the problem, the longer you child will have to wear the braces. However, the average amount of time to wear braces is two years. This is why the age of 7 is the recommended age for braces so that the child can have ample time to wear them before they reach their teenage years and start being conscious about their image.

Once the period of wearing kids braces is through, your child will be required to wear a retainer that has been molded specifically for their teeth. The function of the retainers is to keep the teeth from going back to their original alignment without the influence of the braces. Retainers are usually worn at night.

What is early orthodontics treatment

Early orthodontics treatment is the orthodontic intervention of teeth carried out by a licensed orthodontic before the permanent dentition eruption is complete. The early orthodontics treatment takes place before the orthodontist fits your child with braces. The treatment is why the recommended age for braces is 7 years old. During this recommended age for braces, the orthodontist is able to find abnormalities in your child’s teeth when their jaws are easy to manipulate.

Additionally, the average age for braces is 7 because the early orthodontics treatment allows the orthodontist to treat problems like spacing, missing teeth, protruding teeth, and crowding before more serious dental problems occur.

There are various types of early orthodontics treatment once your child reaches the average age for braces. They include:

Expansion

The expansion treatment in orthodontics is used to solve problems such as cross bites or crowded teeth using palatal expander appliances such as kids braces. The palatal expanders are also useful in preventing the asymmetrical growth of the jaw in kids. The expanders widen the bone and change the position of the teeth, which also helps to reshape the bone for a better dental profile.

This early orthodontics expansion treatment works best when the braces for kids are placed at an early proper age for braces between 7 and 11 years old. Both boys and girls are required to wear the kids braces expanders for 9 to 12 months.

Habit cessation (thumb sucking)

The thumb sucking treatment uses functional appliances such as braces for kids to correct any issues with the bite that the child may have and enhance the lower jaw’s growth. The proper age for braces to help eliminate the thumb sucking habit is between the age of 10 and 13 in girls and between 11 and 14 years in boys. Habit cessation braces for kids are used to correct problems where the lower jaw is small and the upper jaw too prominent.

Modification of growth (functional braces for kids)

In this treatment, the braces for kids are used to change the position of the teeth especially in the following circumstances:

The child has misaligned teeth
The teeth of the child appear rotated
The kid has teeth that have too many spaces between them

The braces for kids are usually placed on the lower or upper front teeth. Additionally, kids braces involve about 4 to 6 brackets and we recommend 7 years as the proper age for braces for this treatment.

What to expect during the first orthodontics treatment?

During the first orthodontics treatment, the orthodontist will examine your child’s dental makeup to determine their orthodontic needs. Once the orthodontist has identified the problem, they will carry out the following activities:

Take photographs of your child’s teeth and face
Carry out x-rays on the jaws of the child
Perform both extraoral and interoral exams
Measure the molds of the top and bottom teeth

In case the orthodontist recommends bands for the back teeth of your child, they will place spaces between the teeth at the back. The spacers will help to make room for the bands.

Also, if the orthodontist concludes that the child needs braces for kids, they will take you both through the procedure and explain to you anything you need to know about braces as well as what to expect. If you have any questions about braces for kids, this would be the perfect time to get the answers you need.

Once everything is set, the doctor will begin the procedure of placing the braces. If you are looking for orthodontics near me, Elara Orthodontic in Richmond Texas has qualified professional orthodontics that can take care of the orthodontic needs of your child. Give us a call today.

FAQs

How old do you have to be to get braces?

The appropriate age for braces is 7 years and above. If you have boys or girls that may be in need of orthodontics treatment, we recommend 7 years as the appropriate age for braces since they will have likely lost most of their primary teeth and grown in their permanent teeth.

Damon braces vs. Traditional Braces. Which is better?

Are you wondering which is the better choice between Damon braces vs. traditional braces? Both Damon and traditional braces for kids are used to straighten teeth. Traditional braces use brackets which are attached to the teeth and a special wire which applies pressure to the teeth. The traditional braces also have a rubber band that keeps both the wire and the brackets attached together.

Damon braces on the other hand are similar to traditional braces apart from the way the brackets and wire are attached together. Instead of using the elastic bands, the Damon braces use a special slide mechanism to keep the wire and the brackets together. Damon braces are better than traditional braces because the traditional braces may cause discomfort to the child due to the friction between the wire and the brackets. Damon braces have no friction and are therefore easier to use and maintain.

Which are the best orthodontics near me?

Elara Orthodontic in Richmond Texas is a great place to start. We offer affordable orthodontics services as well as preventive dentistry that will give your child the wonderful smile that they deserve. If you are in Sugarland, you can also check out our sugar land children orthodontics center for expert orthodontics services.

Get started at Elara Orthodontic in Richmond Texas

Now that you know what age to get brace for your child, what to expect during the orthodontic appointment, and the different types of early orthodontics treatment, it is time to set up that appointment. Give us a call today and book a visit with one of our top orthodontists and let us fix your child’s smile. Whether your child needs braces at age 8 or braces at age 7, we have the right equipment and expertise to get it done. Call now.