What to Know Before Your Kid Gets Braces
Unless you are an incredibly lucky parent, the odds are your child is going to need braces at some point during adolescence to give them the perfect smile that they deserve. While nobody likes having braces, everyone enjoys having the beautiful and lifelong smile that comes with going through the braces process. If you haven’t had a child with braces before, then you may have a lot of questions and confusion. There has been a lot of progress in the world of braces since you were a kid, and that means there’s a lot to understand. Here is what you need to know before your kid gets braces.
Know Your Options
The first thing is that there are a lot more options for braces now than there were even just a decade ago, and you should weigh all your options. There are five major types of braces that you can find, metal, ceramic, self-ligating, lingual and clear aligners. Metal is the traditional option, ceramic can give you a clear look to your braces, and self-ligating are just a modification upon this design. Lingual braces are very rare and are placed behind the teeth for complete freedom. And then of course clear liners are plastic liners that you can take in and out as you please. Think about the benefits and negatives of each before choosing an option.
Restrictions That Come with Braces
The next thing you need to know is that braces come with restrictions to eating. Nobody likes restrictions, especially kids, so knowing what they can and cannot eat with their braces is important for you to know so that you can reinforce it with your children. First and foremost, there are a lot of things that you cannot eat with traditional braces, like sticky foods. Sticky foods can damage your braces by pulling brackets and bending wires. Avoid things like soft caramels, taffy, chewing gum and other very thick sticky foods. You should also be careful with things like popcorn and other snacks that can stick in your teeth.
The Time Frame
It is also important to understand, both for yourself and your kids, the timeline of having braces. Unless you are lucky, having braces is a several months to several year procedure. It takes time to adjust your teeth and make sure that they stay put. The good news is that the better you take care of your teeth while you have braces, the faster it will go. When your gums are healthy and you wear your braces properly, your teeth can move faster and healthier. Letting your kids know this can motivate them to take care of their teeth while they have braces.
Having kids brings with it many surprises, one of them being braces. Most kids end up needing braces during their adolescence. Make sure you understand these three aspects of having braces before your kid gets them so that you are ready to support them through the process.
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