Educating Kids About Orthodontics
Jenny Holt, a freelance health writer for a number of health sites and magazines sent us the following articles to share them with our readers.
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Thanks Jenny!
Educating Kids About Orthodontics: Keep Calm And Get Your Smile On
For many children, a visit to the orthodontist can be an overwhelming prospect, but it’s essential that regular checkups are carried out, as Colgate state that 30-40 million dental cases in the States are the result of phobia or anxiety. It’s also true that those fears were significantly reduced when children knew what to expect prior to an appointment. Getting familiar with orthodontics now can help your child feel good (or even excited) about getting braces in the future.
Let’s Get Something Straight
Many kids feel a bit self-conscious about having to wear braces. It is important to let them know that a good-looking grin is great for their health as well as their self-confidence, so the benefits far outweigh any inconveniences. It is likely your child will have questions about the process, and equipping yourself with some answers will help to put their mind at ease.
Brace Yourself
They’ve been to the dentist, so they already know what that’s like. Braces require a trip to see a special kind of dentist called an orthodontist who will use braces, retainers, and other special devices to straighten teeth, and can treat many issues such as crooked teeth, crowded teeth, overlapping teeth and even overbites. Visiting the orthodontist for the first time will be quite similar to seeing the dentist. They will look at your child’s teeth, take pictures and x-rays, and even make cool impressions of their teeth that they can see during future visits.
So, what do braces do? Braces change the position of the teeth by putting very slow and steady pressure on them. As they slowly move, the surrounding bone changes and grows to support the new position. On average, teeth will move just one millimeter per month, so prepare your child to have them on for a while.
Kids (and adults) often associate dental work with pain. Assure your little one that this procedure is totally painless. When putting braces on, the orthodontist will glue (yes, glue!) small metal brackets to their teeth, and connect the brackets to one another with a super thin wire. If they aren’t going to wear metal braces, the procedure will be even easier. No matter what there will be no drills. No scary stuff. In fact, the hardest thing for them will probably be sitting still for almost an hour.
What Comes Next?
Once your child’s braces are in place, your orthodontist will talk to you and your child about how to take proper care of their teeth while wearing them. You will need to take them in every five to six weeks so your orthodontist can check on the progress of their teeth, and make adjustments to their braces when necessary. He or she may even give them small rubber bands to stretch over certain teeth to help them line up the way they’re supposed to. Most people have to wear their braces anywhere from one to three years. It is very important, while they have braces as well as a retainer, to take great care of their teeth and gums as they normally would, and see your regular dentist for basic oral health. They may also be interested to know that better they take care of their braces and teeth, the more likely they’ll be to get them off sooner.
After the braces come off, they may need to wear a retainer for a little while to make sure their teeth stay nice and straight. Visits to the orthodontist are still important during this time, as only he or she will know when the retainer should come off. Meanwhile, they’ll be able to enjoy that perfect smile.
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