Braces for Teens
Live Life Smiling
The Types of Braces
One of the most exciting things about traditional braces is that they’ve come a long way over the last few decades – both in terms of their design and with regards to how they operate. All told, there are a few different options for you to choose from depending on your needs, including ones like:
Traditional Metal Braces
Traditional metal braces are the option most people are already familiar with. Here, a series of metal brackets and wires are connected to a teen’s teeth that slowly pull everything into the desired position over a period of many months.
Ceramic Braces
Clear or ceramic braces work very similarly to traditional metal braces but use a different type of material for the brackets and wires. Because of that, most people find them to be more comfortable than traditional braces – and they’re certainly more discreet, too.
Iconix Aesthetic Braces
Iconix Aesthetic Braces uses stainless steel, champagne-colored brackets that attach to clear ligatures and champagne-colored wires. If you’re looking for a discreet way to correct issues like crowded teeth or an overbite, it is almost certainly this one.
How Long Will I Wear Braces?
The total length of time you’ll need to wear braces will obviously depend on exactly what you’re trying to correct. Some dental issues simply take longer to fix than others. Thanks to the fact that a teen’s jaw is still developing, most patients can expect to be in braces – regardless of the type they choose – for about two years.
What Can I Eat With Braces?
While traditional braces have certainly come a long way, there are still dietary restrictions that you’ll want to adhere to for the duration of treatment.
Any small foods that could potentially get caught in or around the bracketing system should absolutely be avoided. Popcorn kernels are perhaps the most obvious example of this. Likewise, you’ll want to avoid foods that are particularly chewy like pizza crusts. Any foods that are overly sticky or that are very hard (like candies and hard pretzels, respectively) should also be put on the back burner for the time being.
Any damage to the brackets or wires could potentially delay treatment, which is why they should be avoided whenever possible.
Can I Play Sports With Braces?
Teens can absolutely continue to play sports while they’re wearing braces – it’s just that they’ll have to be incredibly careful while they do so. At a bare minimum, they’ll want to wear a mouth guard or some other type of protection to avoid any type of unnecessary damage to the brackets or wires.
The Many Benefits of Braces
All told, there are a wide range of different benefits that come along with the decisions to get braces for your teen – with maybe the biggest being that they’ll finally enjoy that perfect smile they’ve always wanted for themselves. The aesthetic benefit alone is more than worth the investment for most people, to say nothing of the almost immediate boost to your teen’s self-esteem that will come right along with it.
Likewise, it’s important to correct certain types of dental issues as early on in a patient’s life as possible to stop them from getting much more severe later on. A lot of people don’t realize that someone’s oral health is directly tied to their overall physical health, which is why braces for teens are and will always be a very good idea.
