What You And Your Teen Should Know If They Need Braces

If your teenager is going to be having braces put on, then both of you should prepare yourselves for everything this involves. If your child is giving you trouble about getting braces, you can try to get them a little excited about them by explaining they can go with different options. They can have colorful bands put on them, or they can even have clear bands on them so they are less noticeable. Read this article to learn how braces are put on, what it will be like for your teen when they first get them and how they will have to care for them. 

Learn how braces are put on

The process for getting braces put on should take about a couple of hours. When your teen goes in for them, the cosmetic dentist will start by cleaning your teeth so the braces are put on a clean surface and so plaque doesn't get trapped.

Then, glue will be put on each of their teeth and the brackets will be attached to them. Wires will be attached to the brackets and the dentist will then tighten the wires to the point where they will pull on your child's teeth, just enough to cause them to slowly shift to the proper position for straighter teeth.

What your teen can expect from their new braces

When your child leaves the dentist office with their new braces on, they can expect to feel some pain and discomfort. Not only will their jaw be sore from being help open for so long, but the sensation of having their teeth pulled from the braces will take a while to get used to. Luckily, they should only need some over-the-counter pain reliever to get relief from the discomfort.

Your teen should start to experience the most of their discomfort on the first few days after having their braces put on. After that initial first few days, then pain should get to be less and less until they finally forget they even have the braces on.

How will your teen care for their braces?

Instruct your teen to brush their teeth after every meal, rather than just a couple of times a day. They should also carry orthodontic wax with them. Anytime they feel a part of the braces rubbing on the inside of their mouth, they should put a small amount of wax on that part of the braces to prevent the development of sores.

Now that you and your teen are better-educated on braces, both of you should feel better about them having the braces put on.

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