Dental Braces for Kids

On your own, you could really not tell if your kid needs braces. It needs the educated eyes of a qualified orthodontist and comprehensive and through X-rays to determine if your child’s teeth need braces – their teeth and jaws are not aligned properly.

As a concerned parent though, it is imperative that you bring your child to an orthodontist for an early evaluation of their orthodontic condition when they reach seven years old. An early assessment could correct any early signs of unaligned teeth or jaw precluding any prolonged treatment in the future.

It is important that parents discourage children from thumb sucking when they are still very young. One big ground for bringing your child to an orthodontist is when they are habitual thumb suckers. Thumb sucking is one reason why some children have misaligned teeth. While thumb sucking, the thumb shifts the teeth around and serves as a mold for the teeth to develop around. Misaligned teeth can change speech, make it more difficult to chew food properly, and can even influence proper breathing patterns, and could even alter the shape of a child’s face.
Some other signs that parents should watch for would be early or late loss of baby teeth, clicking jaws, jaws that project too far or not far enough and teeth that are not lined up correctly.

If the child resists the use of braces, parents should explain to them the procedure clearly and not hide anything from them. It would help also if they can meet with children who are already wearing braces. Your child could identify with the experience of another child better than if the one relating their experience is an adult. Make your child realize also that braces will not make them less of a person. In fact it could even add to their “appeal” since there are braces now that are not only almost invisible but attractive and colorful as well.