Most children don’t start losing their baby teeth until they are about six years old, so the youngest patients we see are about seven years old. Scheduling an orthodontic consultation at a young age is a good idea because we can determine what kind of orthodontic treatment your child will need before they are done growing.
The answer to that question depends on a number of different things, and we’d invite you to take a look at our braces and Invisalign pages to get an in-depth view of what each treatment offers. For a broad overview of our services, check out our services page.
If a bracket breaks or falls off, you’ll want to hang on to the bracket and schedule an appointment with our office in the near future so it can be reattached. In the meantime, you can apply dental wax to any sharp spots to keep them from cutting your gums or mouth.
You can expect to feel a little pain or tenderness at the beginning of your orthodontic treatment and whenever adjustments are made. This is because your teeth are not used to being moved, but eventually you will get used to the feeling of your braces. If you are looking for relief, you can always take over-the-counter pain medication, use an ice pack, or apply dental wax to particularly sore spots.
There really is no perfect age or time to seek orthodontic treatment. Teens are good candidates for orthodontic treatments because their adult teeth have grown in but their mouths are still growing, so the teeth have an easier time being moved. However, we always accept and encourage older patients who are seeking orthodontic treatment to come see us.