If your teenager has an overbite, gaps between their teeth, or other orthodontic challenges, they might need to receive braces for teens. Using this gentle tooth straightening method can decrease their risk of experiencing cavities and other dental problems during the rest of their life. At Bowman DMD in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, we can use many different types of braces to enhance your teenager’s smile.
What Is the Best Type of Braces for Teens?
In the past several years, technological advances have made braces more comfortable and efficient. As a result, we can use a wide variety of effective treatments to fix your teenager’s underbite, overbite, misaligned teeth, and other challenges. The best type of braces for teens will depend on the orthodontic issues that we are addressing, your teenager’s preferences, and other unique aspects of their treatment plan.
When we have our first consultation with you and your teenager, we will carefully assess your teen’s teeth. After we have analyzed their orthodontic issues, we will give you a full description of our range of treatment options. We will help your teenager chose braces that will improve their smile in a quick and gentle manner.
Mini-Diamond Braces
If your teenager would like to choose a discreet tooth straightening method, they might be a good candidate for mini-diamond braces. These innovative braces are smaller and less noticeable than older orthodontic appliances. Since this comfortable option is very effective, your teenager will be able to achieve quick improvements in their teeth.
SmartClip Braces
This type of braces will use innovative self-ligating technology to correct your teenager’s orthodontic issues. These braces have an advanced bracket system that will decrease friction and enhance your teen’s comfort levels.
This specialized technology will allow your teenager to attend fewer appointments during their treatment plan. Instead of making time to receive regular treatments at our office, your teen will be able to focus on their schoolwork, sports, and other activities.
Ceramic Braces
We can also use ceramic braces to address your teenager’s misaligned teeth. If you choose this option, your teenager will receive clear brackets that are stylish and discreet. Instead of being afraid to smile in photographs, your teen will feel confident and comfortable throughout their treatment plan.
Why Should My Teenager Use Braces To Improve Their Teeth?
Achieving straighter teeth will enhance your teenager’s health and provide them with other important benefits.
Protecting Their Health
If your teenager’s teeth are very crooked or crowded, they might struggle to maintain good oral hygiene. For example, they might have difficulty removing debris from the spaces between each of their teeth. Over time, this challenge might cause your teenager to develop gum disease, cavities, and other dental issues.
After your teen has used braces to fix these problems, they will be able to thoroughly brush and floss their teeth. As a result, they will be less likely to experience uncomfortable dental issues in the future.
Enhancing Their Speech
The condition of your teen’s teeth can affect their ability to speak in a clear and confident manner. If your teenager has an overbite or other orthodontic challenges, they might develop a lisp. Addressing these problems can be an excellent way to enhance the clarity of your teenager’s speech.
Improving Their Self-Esteem
If your teen has misaligned teeth, their classmates might tease them. Over time, this problem could lower your teenager’s self-esteem and cause them to feel very embarrassed about their orthodontic problems. Fixing their aligned teeth, overbite, and other problems will allow your teenager to feel confident when they are smiling for photographs and interacting with their peers at school.
What Will Happen During My Teenager’s Initial Consultation?
If your teenager has visited dentists or orthodontists in the past, they should bring all of their old X-rays to their first visit at our office. These X-rays will help us assess the condition of your teenager’s teeth. If you are worried about an overbite, underbite, or other problem, you or your teen should tell us about this issue.
After we have looked at your teenager’s teeth, we can recommend a specific type of braces for them. At this point, you and your teenager can talk about your concerns and ask us questions about the details of these treatments. For example, you might ask us about the anticipated length and cost of your teen’s treatment plan.
Will My Teenager Need To Miss School After Their Treatment Begins?
Receiving mini-diamond braces, ceramic braces, or other orthodontic treatments is a very comfortable, easy process. As a result, your teenager will not be required to fall behind in their studies or avoid their extracurricular activities after they begin their treatment plan. Once we have finished attaching brackets to your teen’s teeth, they will be able to immediately return to school.
Will My Teenager Need To Brush and Floss During Their Treatment?
Your teenager will need to protect their health by regularly flossing and brushing their teeth after they receive their braces. At the beginning of your teenager’s treatment, we will teach them how to move their toothbrush around their brackets and wires.
Will My Teenager Be Required To Change Their Diet?
Certain foods can cause your teenager to develop loose brackets and other issues. To avoid these problems, your teenager will be required to make a few dietary adjustments. In particular, we will tell your teenager not to bite into whole apples or carrots. Further, they will need to avoid chewing gum, eating very hard candies, and consuming taffy and caramels.
Once we provide your teenager with braces, we will give them a detailed explanation about all of the foods that they should avoid during their treatment. You can support your teenager by buying alternative foods that they can enjoy during this time. For example, when you are buying healthy snacks for your family, you might decide to purchase oranges instead of apples.
When Will My Teenager Receive Follow-Up Appointments?
After we provide your teenager with mini-diamond braces, clear braces, or another orthodontic treatment, they will need to attend follow-up appointments at our office. These additional meetings will allow us to tighten your teen’s braces. We will also be able to track your teen’s progress and give updated estimates about the remaining time in their treatment plan.
In general, your teen will need to visit our office once every four to eight weeks. Since these visits will be spread out, your teenager will not be required to miss a significant amount of school or skip many of their extracurricular activities.
How Long Will My Teenager Need To Wear Braces?
The total length of your teen’s treatment will be based on the orthodontic issues that they have, the type of braces that they receive, and their behavior during their treatment. In particular, your teenager will usually be able to spend less time using this method to improve their teeth if they can take good care of their braces and remember all of our instructions.
In general, your teenager should expect to wear their braces for about two years. During this time, you should help your teen remember to attend all of their scheduled appointments at our office.
Can My Teenager Use Specialized Techniques To Decrease the Length of Their Treatment?
Your teenager may want to remove their braces before an important birthday, graduation ceremony, or another significant event. Under some circumstances, we may shorten the total length of your teenager’s treatment by providing them with a Carriere Motion Appliance before they receive their braces. In general, your teenager will wear this appliance for about three to four months.
After a sufficient amount of time has passed, we will take out this appliance and put braces onto their teeth. Since this appliance can jumpstart your teen’s treatment, they may be able to spend less time wearing their braces or using other methods to improve their teeth.
Will My Teenager Be Able To Continue Playing Sports?
If your teenager is a star athlete who plays soccer, football, or other sports, don’t worry. Your teen won’t have to miss important games or practices during their orthodontic treatment. We can recommend durable braces that will reduce your teenager’s chance of experiencing loose brackets and other issues while they play sports. In addition, we may instruct your teen to use a comfortable mouthguard to protect their braces during games and practices.
Should My Teenager See Their Dentist While They Are Wearing Braces?
Your teenager should continue seeing their dentist throughout their orthodontic treatment. Continuing these visits will allow your teenager to receive dental cleanings and other important treatments. For example, your teenager might develop a cavity while they are using braces to straighten their teeth. If your teenager experiences this problem, their dentist can protect their health by providing them with a filling.
Can My Teenager Use Other Methods to Straighten Their Teeth?
In addition to providing braces for teens, we also offer an innovative treatment called Invisalign Teen. If your teenager uses this option to address their orthodontic issues, we will not attach any brackets to their teeth. Instead, we will use specialized techniques to make several sets of customized aligners for your teenager.
Since our Invisalign Teen devices are made of clear plastic, your teenager’s classmates and friends may not realize that your teen is receiving this orthodontic treatment. In addition, your teenager will be able to take off their customized aligners when they are eating meals and cleaning their teeth. As a result, this orthodontic treatment will not interfere with your teen’s ability to enjoy their favorite foods and thoroughly brush and floss their teeth.
Will My Insurance Cover the Cost of My Teenager’s Braces?
Some insurance plans will contribute to the cost of your family’s orthodontic treatments. For example, some plans may give you dental insurance and a lifetime orthodontic benefit. If you have this type of policy, your plan may contribute to the cost of your teenager’s braces.
Since each plan is unique, you should contact your insurance policy for more information. If your policy includes orthodontic benefits, we will file your insurance claims after your treatment begins.
Schedule a Consultation
If your teen has an underbite, misaligned teeth, or other orthodontic problems, you should consider using braces to address these challenges. We can use mini-diamond braces, ceramic braces, Invisalign, and many other treatments to improve your teenager’s teeth. To learn more about our full range of braces for teens, contact us at Bowman DMD in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.