The American Association of Orthodontists recommends an orthodontic screening at age 7. For most children, several permanent teeth have come in by this age, allowing the orthodontist to effectively evaluate the patient’s orthodontic condition.

If your orthodontist or dentist recommends braces, you probably need them. You can always ask your orthodontist how necessary they are, but keep in mind that getting braces is not just about a better smile. Having straighter teeth also helps keep you healthier and can prevent dental and jaw issues down the road

Having a brace fitted is a painless procedure. It is likely to ache for a couple of days following fitting; normal painkillers can help this. Most problems subside within 48 hours.

Generally, orthodontic treatments usually last from 18 to 30 months, with the average treatment taking 24 months. The length of treatment depends on the severity of the problem, the proposed treatment plan, the patient’s age, compliance to the treatment plan, and other factors.

It’s extremely important that you have good dental hygiene at all times, but especially so while you’re wearing braces. That being said, we’ve found that both electric and manual toothbrushes work to brush your teeth with braces. Of course, the electric requires less work. What really matters when brushing your teeth with braces is that you make sure to brush all the surfaces of the teeth around the braces themselves – above and below the braces. Additionally, we recommend that you consider using a water pick to clean between your teeth, since flossing with braces can be very difficult.

A retainer has the important job of holding your teeth in place. Teeth are most likely to return to their original position when braces are removed. The gums and fibrous ligaments that hold teeth are loose while the braces are on. When the braces are removed the gums don’t tighten for a while so they offer no resistance to teeth moving around. Wearing a retainer full-time will keep your teeth in place while the gums settle down. After a few months, your orthodontist may tell you its fine to stop wearing your retainer during the day but keep wearing it at night.

Many patients ask if you can ever stop wearing a retainer. It depends. The recommended time for wearing a retainer after braces will differ between patients and their treatment type. It is quite normal for most people to observe mild changes in the alignment of teeth as they age and the changes are quite variable from individual to individual and impossible to predict . These changes can be minimized by continuing to wear your retainers part-time.