Have you caught your teen practicing their smile in the mirror? Or giving you grief every year on picture day? The teenage years as we all know are a time of awkwardness and a whole lotta change.
One of the biggest concerns among American teens is their appearance! And 96% of teens aren’t satisfied with their smile. So what can you as a parent do to help them? Simply talk it over with your teen! If you find they’re wanting to straighten their teeth, it’s a good idea to schedule an orthodontic evaluation together.
But did you know that there’s more benefits of orthodontics for teens than just straight teeth? And if your Jupiter orthodontists recommend braces, which braces option is best for your teen?
Braces for Teens Offer Many Health Benefits
Think of straight teeth as the foundation for a beautiful, healthy smile. From your teen’s improved bite and aligned jaw, comes a plethora of health benefits. Let’s break it down!
Orthodontics for teens can…
- Improve speech. Did you know your tongue touches a specific area of your teeth to produce certain words? It’s true! Crooked teeth or spacing issues can slur your teen’s words or produce an embarrassing whistling sound.
- Improve digestion. Teeth and jawbones in alignment allow your teen to easily chew their food into smaller pieces—the ideal size for proper digestion!
- Reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Teeth in healthy alignment are easy to brush and floss! They also don’t provide extra places for food particles to hide and fester.
- Reduce the risk of trauma (from protruding teeth). During puberty, growth spurts are common! The pesky temporary side effect from these is lack of coordination, which can lead to a fall and damage your teen’s protruding teeth. And if your teen is active in sports, the risk of trauma to their mouth or teeth increases! (Especially if your teen has an overbite, where their risk of dental injury increases by 30%!)
What’s the best braces for teens?
There isn’t one “best” option when it comes to braces! Each different type of braces has unique benefits. It’s just a matter of what your teen prefers and how they want to look during treatment.
Teens can choose from:
- Traditional Metal Braces
- Clear and Metal Self-Ligating Braces
- InBrace® Lingual Braces
- Invisalign® Clear Aligners
All these orthodontic options are incredibly effective and will help reveal your teen’s true smile! Teens can express their creativity through their smile with traditional braces or go discreet with a clear or lingual option.
Traditional Metal Braces
Metal braces are made up of high-quality metal alloy brackets that are fixed to each individual tooth with non-toxic dental adhesive. A metal arch wire is threaded through these brackets and held in place by elastics— more commonly known as rubber bands! At the expert hands of Dr. King or Dr. Welch, these brackets and the arch wire will work together to straighten your teen’s teeth in 6 to 36 months depending on the severity of your teen’s orthodontic condition.
Clear Ceramic Braces
Although not as popular as metal braces or Invisalign clear aligners, ceramic braces are an orthodontic option for your teen too! Ceramic braces are similar in design to metal braces, but blend in with the natural color of your teen’s teeth. If your teen prefers a more discreet form of braces, ceramic braces may be right for them.
Lingual Braces
INBRACE is the truly invisible, incredibly innovative, no-compliance-necessary orthodontic treatment option for teens! With lingual braces, the brackets and wires are located behind the teeth, so they aren’t visible to anyone!
Invisalign for Teens
Invisalign Teen aligners are a perfect fit for any lifestyle! Teens don’t have to change their diet, stop eating their favorite foods, turn down any dates to prom, or worry about “metal mouth” with Invisalign.
Improve Your Teens’ Confidence and Health with Orthodontics!
When your teen visits us for their free orthodontic exam, we’ll explain to you both about their current orthodontic condition. We’ll create a custom treatment and payment plan 100% for your teen! Our experienced orthodontists and talented team want to make your teen’s life-changing transformation comfortable, affordable, and accurate.
If you have questions about orthodontic options for teens, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can help you select from our recommended orthodontic treatment options to ensure your teen receives the best possible smile results!
Is your teen ready to begin their journey toward their most confident smile? Get started by requesting a free exam with our top orthodontists in Jupiter— Dr. King and Dr. Welch!