Many young teens and adolescents go through braces to help correct misaligned teeth and provide improved oral health needs. Kid braces are such a great tool, but they can also be incredibly challenging for both child and parent to deal with. If you’re considering in investing in adolescent braces, it’s always helpful to know the tips and insights that will support you and your kiddo in surviving the journey.

We’ve put together 10 helpful tips and insights to support any brace journey, especially kid or teen braces. Check these out!

1. Choose the Right Type of Braces

There is more than one type of braces, whether it’s adult braces, kid braces, or something in between. When it comes to adolescent braces, the most common method is traditional metal braces. However, there may be times when a different type is recommended or acceptable. These are the most common options:

• Metal: the traditional braces with metal brackets on each tooth, a wire that runs across them, and bands that secure the wire to the brackets
• Ceramic: similar to metal braces but these use ceramic, clear brackets rather than metal ones
• Clear Aligners: Invisalign and other brands of clear aligners use clear trays that are nearly invisible and also removable (best for mild to moderate needs)

Knowing the options can help you make an informed choice for your child.

2. Stay on Top of Oral Hygiene

Some kids are so hard to teach the value of oral hygiene and braces can make it even harder to implement proper care. The problem is the wires and brackets can make it hard to reach places for both brushing and flossing. In addition, some kids just aren’t well motivated to even brush, especially not multiple times a day.

As a parent, do your best to educate, advocate, and hold your child accountable. Provide them with the tools available to make oral hygiene easier and check up on them from time to time to ensure they are doing what they should. Braces can create additional spaces that must be cleaned well to prevent cavities or even gum disease.

How can you help? Encourage your child to brush after every single meal. They should use a soft bristled brush and quality toothpaste. Invest in interdental brushes or a water flosser so the child can easily clean around the brackets and wires and get all the tiny spaces. Make sure they floss daily. There are ortho-friendly flossers and threaders that can help.

Building and following helpful habits can make such a huge difference. Encourage, let them know how important it is, and hold them accountable too.

3. There May Be Some Discomfort

We would love it if the adolescent braces experience had absolutely zero pain or discomfort. The reality is that your child might experience a little of both. The good news is that it is generally temporary and there are solutions to help combat these issues too. It’s perfectly normal when braces are first applied and following an adjustment for there to be some slightly pain and tenderness. Mild pain can be treated with over-the-counter pain medicine while they adjust and it passes.

When there is pain or tenderness, you can help by ensuring they have soft foods available. Things like yogurt, mashed potatoes, and smoothies are great choices to get through those difficult days. Most children are adjusted after 2-4 days and can return to mostly normal habits.

There are times when tooth movements cause wires or brackets to irritate cheeks and gums. Orthodontic wax can be used to cover those problem areas and prevent irritation.

4. Eating Habit Adjustments

When kid braces are applied, the orthodontist will also give instruction on habits that might need to change. This will include food groups to avoid or be cautious with. There are some foods that can cause damage to your braces or get stuck in the brackets and cause other issues. While there are some things that may need to be avoided during braces treatments, you can often return to habits when treatment is complete so remember it’s temporary.

These are some foods that are recommended to avoid:

• Anything sticky (gum, caramel, etc.)
• Hard foods (popcorn, nuts, hard candies)
• Chewy foods (chewy meat or bagels)
• Corn on the cob

Some foods, like corn on the cob or apples, may just need to be cut up rather than biting directly into them. This allows you to still enjoy those foods without the risks of biting into them.

5. Plan for Possible Braces Emergencies

You could run into circumstances where you have an unexpected issue. Maybe your child is playing basketball and gets hit with the ball and a bracket pops off. Perhaps the wire is overly long and poking shortly before your next checkup.

Being prepared for these things can be very helpful. If a bracket comes off or you experience something emergent, call your provider right away.

In other situations, you can likely treat by having the right tools on hand. We recommend always having a braces care kit with wax, a small mirror, toothbrush, toothpaste, and flossers in it. This will cover most of our unexpected issues.

6. Follow the Instructions

There will be times on your kid braces journey where there might be extra appliances or rubber bands that have to be used. No matter what the extra thing is, it is so important to follow the instructions of the provider. When the instructions are not enforced or followed, it simply delays treatment completion.

Rubber bands are a big one here. Consistency is what makes them successful. Don’t skip wear time for prolonged periods. As a parent, you should encourage your child to follow these instructions and check up on them to make sure they are on track.

7. Sports Protection

Provide your teen or child with proper protection for sports they may be part of. Mouthguards are not required by regulations for all sports, but when a child has braces it is always a good idea. Purchase a mouthguard for your child to wear as it provides some added protection to avoid sports injuries or mishaps.

Conclusion

Adolescent braces can certainly require adjustments and might present challenge, but the outcome is so worth the journey. These tips offer you some simple insight to help make the treatment process easier and know what to expect or how to best support your child. With these helps, you can prepare and plan for the experience ahead.