Braces for Baby Teeth

Are there braces for baby teeth? Normally, when we hear the word “braces,” the first picture that comes to our mind is a late teen or a mid-teen. However, orthodontists may recommend braces for people of different age groups, including children, adolescents, teenagers, adults, etc.

Did you know that there are braces for baby teeth? Yes, they are safe, but you need to consult with your child’s orthodontist. Visiting an orthodontist early is better for the identification and diagnosis of harmful oral conditions that may become a serious concern if left untreated.

Braces for Baby Teeth
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Braces for Kids with Baby Teeth

Everyone wants a bright smile, but not all people have pearly whites. They include young children as well as adults. The perfect alignment of teeth and the bright color make your smile beautiful and boost your self-confidence. However, people with crooked, misaligned, and crowded teeth growth need to undergo dental treatment to maintain their proper bite.

Many people assume that late age is more suitable to get braces and other similar treatments than the baby teeth stage. In fact, it might be the best time to rectify oral errors and misalignments.

It becomes easier to handle the teeth realignment and maintain the proper bite when a child has baby teeth. As their jaw and bones are still under development, orthodontists recommend that it is easy to guide the growth and adjust the treatments accordingly.

The American Orthodontic Association suggests that dental care becomes vital when dental issues become visible in children. Besides, they suggest that the first dental checkup should not be before 7 years of age. It is the growth and development stage of a child, and it is possible only for a trained and experienced medical care professional (i.e., orthodontist) to identify the subtle signs of any underlying or potential oral health issues.

Advantages of Braces for Kids with Baby Teeth

An orthodontist might take a look and conduct an examination to assess your child’s oral health conditions. Eventually, the answer may be one of the following.

Initiating treatment before the eruption of permanent teeth
Waiting for the permanent teeth to grow for better treatment success
Suggesting that there is no need for any orthodontic treatment at the instance

Reasons to Get Braces for Kids with Baby Teeth

Did you know that an orthodontist might suggest extracting your child’s baby teeth to give way to permanent teeth growth?

Here is a list of a few oral health conditions that require prompt orthodontist attention.

Spaced/Crowded Teeth: crowded teeth grow too close and misalign other teeth surrounding them. In comparison, spaced teeth are far apart and keep growing in a similar pattern even when the permanent teeth erupt.
Underbite/Overbite: underbite is when the upper teeth are far behind the lower teeth, while overbite is when the upper teeth are far ahead of the lower teeth.
Extra/ Missing Teeth: it is possible for young children to have missing or additional baby teeth that are capable of impacting their future jaw growth.
Crossbite: crossbite pertains to the shifting of the jaw of a child to either side.

Types of Braces for Kids

Children with baby teeth require precise care and need to undergo accurate treatment procedures to avoid any permanent deformities.

Traditional braces have metal brackets and a long, flexible archwire. The metal brackets bond to the teeth’ enamel while the flexible wire fastens them to begin the readjustment. A similar process applies to the ceramic braces, which are tooth-colored and not-so-frequently noticeable.
Many brands offer invisible braces. These are plastic braces that fit perfectly over your teeth after your orthodontist creates them with your mouth’s precise 3-D image and/or impression (mold). It’s rubber and does not involve wires or metal brackets.
Often the orthodontist will suggest that your child get one or two teeth pulled in order to get space for the headgear that can provide better teeth adjustment force. Nevertheless, you do not have to worry because your child might only have to wear the headgear at night.

Braces for Baby Teeth
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After the application of braces, you need to visit your dentists frequently until the teeth are finally in the correct position. Following that, they will remove the braces and suggest wearing plastic retainers that will hold the teeth from moving back to the same place.