What Is the Right Age for Getting Dental Braces?

Parents are usually always concerned about the health of their children. They also take care of their dental health. If you look around, you may be able to see that many children have misaligned teeth. Parents of such children wonder about the best option to get the teeth of those children aligned. The most common and effective solution in this regard is the attachment of dental braces. Here, most of the parents ask about the best age at which the braces can be applied.

Main function of the braces

There are several issues which can be solved with the help of braces. Some of those problems include teeth crowding, missing or extra teeth, improper bite and tooth spacing. Certain misalignment issues can cause damage beyond the looks. Since misaligned teeth are hard to clean, they can have plaque buildup and, hence, they can suffer decay.

Visit to the orthodontist

The early signs of misalignment start appearing at the age of 7. Therefore, it is the right age to take your kid to the orthodontist if your child has started having these issues. Since teeth and jaws are developing at this age, it is going to be easier for the orthodontist to treat misalignment.

One thing worth mentioning here is that your child may not be comfortable about this visit to the orthodontist. But you can leave it up to the orthodontist to deal with the apprehensions of your child. A good orthodontist will first make every effort to make environment friendly for your child. Before the treatment starts, there are going to be dental x-rays tests conducted.

Types of misalignment

Typically, there are three types of misalignments that you need to watch out for.

• The first type of misalignment is not a severe one. The upper teeth barely overlap the lower teeth. This one is the most common type of misalignment.
• The second type of misalignment involves upper teeth severely overlapping the lower teeth. This misalignment is usually known as overbite.
• The third kind of misalignment involves protrusion of lower teeth beyond the upper teeth. This case is mostly referred to as under-bite. This one of the least common type of malocclusion.

Getting the braces

While you may be quick to decide about getting your child the dental braces, he may not be comfortable with the idea of having brackets attached to the teeth and a wire running through those brackets. But then, getting your child the braces at an early age can help him get the best smile in least possible duration. All you have to do is to tell your child about the benefits of braces. Tell them about the smile they are going to get after the braces are off.

Braces are also ideal for adults

Although the teeth at adult age are hard to move, braces still tend to provide desirable results no matter at what age. If you are an adult and you are worried about misalignment of your teeth, you can discuss this option of getting braces with your dentist.