The 3 Best Types of Teeth Braces For Kids

The healthy development of your child’s teeth is essential to ensure that they can eat comfortably and of course, make parents proud of their adorable and charming smile.

Kids dentistry helps improve your child’s oral hygiene. Nearly one out of three children need professional dental care, and a much higher percentage of children fall on the borderline. Children need to be treated to correct any irregularities in their teeth to improve their smile and oral functions.

This treatment will often include the use of teeth braces. Luckily, braces are no longer as unpopular as they once were. 94% of orthodontists say that children came to them for consultation because they wanted to wear teeth braces.

When Should Children Visit an Orthodontist?

• Loss of baby teeth: most of the baby teeth fall out when the baby is between the ages of five years and fourteen. If teeth fall out earlier than five or do not fall even at fourteen, the matter needs attention by a dentist.

• Abnormal Habits: Many children have the habit of thumb sucking or tongue thrust. While these habits won’t cause harm in the very early years, if they persist they can damage the teeth. Your dentist or orthodontist can diagnose these habits in time and offer appropriate preventive treatment with habit breaking appliances.

• Speech impediments: Do you observe that your child lisps, has a slurred speech or mispronounces words? Abnormal alignment of the teeth or jaw can be the cause and can be diagnosed by a general dentist well before it is a serious problem.

Also, your child’s dentist will look out for an improper bite, and misaligned or improperly gapped adult teeth. Timely preventive or interceptive action by the dentist can promote the development of jawbones and teeth that help with eating, speaking and smiling.

When are Teeth Braces Required?

The correct age for a child to get teeth braces varies depending on its physiological growth and the nature of dental problems. The average is close to 11 years. Earlier inspections, as recommended by the Australian Society of Orthodontists will give the dentist and the parents a good chance to correct harmful habits, monitor the jaw and teeth for proper development and provide a corrective/preventive treatment wherever necessary.

Children do not need to wait for all teeth to come out to have braces. Teeth braces for kids are effective, even with just a few adult teeth to guide the treatment. This will ensure the correct development with proper alignment and spacing.

Moreover, space maintainers will avoid overcrowding. With such timely treatment, your child may be saved from the need for later extraction. Which reduces the chances of having to wear full braces. Full braces are not that unpopular nowadays, but other more discreet options are also available.

3 Types of Teeth Braces for Children

There are different types of braces for children. They all work by applying forces to the misaligned teeth and correcting the bite. The exact type of braces to be worn by a child will depend on the specific needs of the child. Broadly, there are three types of braces.

Metal Braces

The word braces usually bring up the image of metal braces because these are the most common ones worn by children. Modern metal braces, however, tend to have smaller brackets which makes them less noticeable. Small brackets are attached to the teeth and connected by rubber bands or thin metal wires. The archwire is repeatedly tightened at regular intervals to ensure the teeth move into the desired position. Coloured bands are quite popular with children. Another advantage of metal braces is that they are the least expensive of all options.

Ceramic braces

Ceramic braces are similar to metal braces. However, in this case, the metal brackets are replaced with tooth-colored ceramic brackets to make them much less noticeable. Ceramic braces are more popular with adolescents. Even the wires are tooth-colored which makes them even less noticeable. The downside is that they tend to be more fragile and demand careful cleaning to avoid getting stained. These are also more expensive than metal braces.

Clear Aligners

Clear aligners are a solution more commonly associated with adults. However, they are an excellent option for anyone who doesn’t like to show their braces when they speak or smile. Clear aligners are becoming very popular because of their invisibility. The most popular brand is Invisalign.

Invisalign involves wearing a series of custom-manufactured aligners made from clear plastic. A digital scan of your child’s mouth is taken, and a set of aligners are designed to fit. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks and then replaced with the next numbered one. Since these are custom made for teeth and are composed of a flexible form of plastic, the clear aligners are much more comfortable to wear than metal or the ceramic braces. They are also removable, so, children can eat and drink without them, then clean their teeth and aligners after.

Children can play sports while wearing the aligners, without fear of accidental damage to the aligners. It’s important that the aligners are worn for at least 22 hours a day to ensure treatment success. They come with a blue coloured compliance band, which shows the total length of time the aligners are worn. Thus, you can monitor how regularly your child is wearing them.

The clear aligner is not as popular as metal braces. However, they are becoming more popular because of their multiple advantages. They can improve your child’s smile while also having a positive influence on his or her self-esteem. Clear aligners are more expensive than metal braces, but some insurance plans cover their cost.

Book A Free Consultation in Woden For Your Kids Braces

For more than 32 years, Acacia Dental Group has been providing reliable family dentistry and kids braces in Woden and Phillip. If you would like to discuss the options for your child’s oral health, schedule a free orthodontic consultation at Acacia Dental today.

During your child’s consultation, one of our dentists will examine their teeth and smile. From there, our Dentist will create a personalised treatment plan just for them, and discuss the best options for helping your child avoid any common child orthodontic problems.

Call us on (02) 6281 2222 to book your free orthodontic consultation.