When kids develop their adult teeth, they’ll often run into problems. Getting crooked teeth is common. People sometimes won’t have enough room in their mouths for all of their teeth. Kids tend to have small jaws in general. While people’s jaws can sometimes get longer as they get older, their teeth will not necessarily adjust themselves accordingly without the right amount of assistance. Getting dental braces can make all the difference for patients who are in situations like these.
Braces are relatively simple products. However, they can be used to slowly but surely change the position of a person’s teeth. These are metallic devices that are positioned directly on a person’s teeth, and they will ease the teeth into the desired alignment.
Preteens and people who are in their early teens are often encouraged to get braces. It is certainly possible to get braces after the age of fifteen. However, people will often get better results if they get braces after the age of nine but before the age of fifteen. Getting braces put into place at eleven is often a good choice.
Most kids have lost all of their baby teeth by the age of eleven. However, a lot of growth occurs between the ages of eleven and fourteen. A person’s fundamental bone structure can change a lot at that point. When patients get braces during that life stage, they’ll have a better chance of getting teeth that are appropriately aligned. A patient’s permanent teeth will be new at that stage. They will more or less grow into their newly aligned teeth, and everything should fall into place fairly easily.
Young adults will have an easier time adjusting to a life of braces than older adults. The responsibilities associated with having braces can indeed be tough for very young teens. For some teenagers, learning these responsibilities can be useful in the context of character development.
Braces and Expectations
Patients should know that caring for braces is tough. They will have to modify their dietary habits after they get braces. Lots of different types of foods will get stuck in braces. Some types of food will actively cause damage to braces. People will have to make sure that they don’t knock their braces loose, and this is something that can happen after a fairly minor incident.
Some people worry about having to wear braces for a long period of time, and that is a valid concern. After all, people will tend to wear their braces for about three years. At a minimum, patients can expect to wear braces for a year and a half. Adjusting the teeth too quickly is bad for them. Wearing braces for a while will give people the chance to get straighter and more even teeth without causing themselves any additional dental problems.
Braces will not be able to fix all dental issues. People who have overly long or short teeth might need to address them with veneers. However, braces can fix gaps, misaligned teeth, and similar irregularities.
Orthodontics and Preparation
All patients will need to make sure that they’re aware of all of the responsibilities involved with getting braces before they actually get them. Dentists will usually go over all of this information with their patients, even showing them instructional videos. It’s a good idea for patients to read about what it’s like to actually live with braces. Some people think that they’re ready when they’re not, and this can make it difficult to adjust to a life with braces.
When patients actually get the braces put into place, they will need to make sure that their teeth are clean. Other than that, the real work will usually begin after patients actually get their braces.
The Popularity of Braces
In many cultures today, getting braces has become something of a rite of passage. It’s common for people to get braces even if their teeth are only slightly crooked. Getting braces can prevent a lot of different dental issues down the line. It’s important to remember that people don’t just get these devices put into place for cosmetic reasons.
People who aren’t able to bite down properly because of the alignment of their teeth can end up developing dental problems at some point in their lives. They can also end up with aching jaws. Braces will fix and prevent those issues.
Some patients who have misaligned teeth will end up with gaps and dental irregularities. People who have issues like this might be more likely to end up with infections, since bits of food can get trapped there. Bacteria can gather and spread relatively easily in the mouth, even among people who brush and floss regularly. Patients who have straight teeth will often have an easier time preventing dental infections and similar problems. In that regard, braces can be something of an investment.
Patients who have uneven teeth might run into issues where their wisdom teeth surface in the wrong position, leading to impacted teeth. Most people will get their wisdom teeth removed. However, the people with crooked teeth might run into similar issues with healthier permanent teeth. They will also have a particularly tough time when they get their wisdom teeth in their late teens, which is one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to take care of crooked teeth at an early age.
The cosmetic aspects of misaligned teeth are also still valid. Some people will feel self-conscious about having teeth that are crooked, depending on how crooked they are. Some people will struggle when it comes to accepting this aspect of their appearance. Solving these sorts of cosmetic concerns can have a lot of health benefits.
Plenty of people don’t want to get plastic surgery, even if they’re not perfectly happy with their faces. Getting braces is different, since it’s a process that can help people in many different ways.
Interested in learning more about our orthodontics and braces services in the Sacramento, Pocket, Land Park, and Florin area? Call us today at (916) 395-1900.