Our team is honored to serve patients of all ages in our community and beyond. Braces are an excellent orthodontic tool for our younger generation of patients to help correct emerging issues and prevent future problems. Your child deserves a smile that is not only functional but also beautiful. When we start early treatment, we can ensure they grow up with a smile that inspires confidence as they enter new stages of life. Kids love visiting My LA Braces because they can immediately tell that we have a fun-loving and easy-going environment. We consider our team a family, and we’ve found this comfortable culture takes all of the anxiety out of visiting the orthodontist.
When Should I Consider Taking My Child to See an Orthodontist?
We recommend bringing your child in for a free consultation as early as age seven. At this stage, your child will have a mix of permanent teeth and baby teeth, so we will be able to detect growth issues that could become a bigger problem down the road. While we may not begin treatment right away, we’ll be able to monitor their progress and make more informed decisions about their future treatment. Children often have the greatest success in braces because their mouths are still growing. We have an easier time influencing their teeth and gums with treatment if they haven’t fully formed yet.
What Should I Expect When My Child Begins Orthodontic Treatment?
During your child’s initial consultation, we’ll perform an exam to see what areas of their oral health need help, as well as begin a conversation with you about your treatment concerns. We understand that every patient has unique orthodontic needs and expectations, and we want to help you decide on the type of braces that is right for your child.
Once you decide on the perfect appliance for your child’s needs, all your child has to do is take care of their braces and oral health until they achieve their dream smile. The first step to taking care of your braces and health is cutting a few foods out of their diet. Hard, chewy, and sticky foods are hard on braces, and they can often pull wires loose and break brackets. Instead, your child should try to eat snacks and meals that are soft and easy to chew. This will help keep their braces intact and ensure they don’t go through any dental emergencies.
Another key component of braces care includes maintaining their great oral health. We know it can be challenging to get your child to brush and floss even without braces, but they must take care to brush around their brackets and underneath their wires. If not, then harmful chemicals and food debris could build up and cause erosion and tooth decay. As long as they maintain their great dental hygiene routine, they’ll breeze through treatment without any concerns.
A common question parents have is about how long their kid’s braces treatment will last. While every child and patient has a unique treatment plan built around their smile, most people achieve their dream results within one to two years. This timeline may be shorter if your child has less extensive orthodontic issues.
Treatment Options
Brace Treatment Options
When children get braces, it can be a life-changing experience that they never forget. Our team understands that this experience is personal, so we want to give all of our patients a voice in their treatment. We offer various braces treatments for our patients to choose from so they can choose the appliance that works best for their stage of life. We want parents and children alike to feel excited about this process, and we are proud to offer the following options:
Traditional Metal Braces
These braces are a classic treatment that uses metal brackets, stainless steel wires, and elastics to transform your teen’s smile. This appliance has been upgraded over recent years, so patients benefit from a more discreet and effective treatment.
Clear Braces
If your child is excited about getting braces but wants a treatment that isn’t as noticeable as the metal appliance, clear braces may be a perfect choice. These braces function similarly to metal braces, but instead of stainless steel brackets, they consist of a series of clear brackets that blend in with the color of your natural smile. While this appliance is highly effective, it’s slightly less durable than the metal version.
Damon Braces
One of the most exciting breakthroughs in braces technology is the creation of Damon braces. Orthodontic experts and engineers researched what qualities made a smile look more natural and beautiful and then created a type of braces that aimed to help your smile reflect these qualities.
Rather than using regular brackets and elastics, Damon braces use a patented slide mechanism that allows the wire to move freely throughout treatment. Elastics can cause friction that slows your progress and keeps you in treatment longer. With this unique appliance, there is little friction, so you enjoy a quicker treatment. The lack of rubber bands also gives you the opportunity to have better oral health because it is easier to brush around these smooth and sleek brackets.