Around 25%-50% of all kids require orthodontic care. Some sources come out with numbers of even up to 75% of children needing braces. It all means that having children with teeth problems is completely normal. The question is – what are you going to do about it as a parent?
The natural answer is taking them to do the orthodontist, of course. That’s the right thing to do. However, before doing it, you should know a couple of things about these doctors and the overall industry. That’s what we’re going to talk about more here and explain some of the things that you might didn’t know. Read on if you want to know more about orthodontics and its practice.
1. It is best to make interventions before the age of 7
It’s crucial to handle teeth and jaw problems before the age of seven because the younger the child is, the better chances they have to create a perfect jawline that will last forever. As kids grow, their bone structure becomes stronger and harder to be managed and altered.
On the other hand, kids who are too young will only be tortured without true benefits because later on, the jaw might still change with their growth. However, young children will see results much easier and faster than teenagers and grownups. See some more stats here.
If you miss this age, you should still do it and get a wonderful smile for your kids. They might hate you at the moment, but when the time comes to benefit from that smile, they’ll be thanking you for handling the problem when the time was best.
2. Don’t push your child to the limits
When you get them to the orthodontist, the doctor will find many flaws and will find ways to correct them. You don’t always need to listen to them, but make your choices and decisions. Don’t torture your children with interventions that will aim for perfection, but only do the necessary.
If you already spent a couple of years fixing issues, then it is probably about time to quit doing more interventions. Getting a good enough jaw and teeth is much better than making your child thinking that you just enjoy torturing them and cause unchangeable psychological problems.
3. Choose an orthodontist that your kids will like
A lot of children are traumatized by this experience. At a young age, kids do not love strangers and someone putting in wire inside their mouth is not the most pleasant experience for them. This is why it’s crucial to talk to them and show them multiple options for them to choose from.
They will take the pressure much easier if the orthodontist is a person they like. The communication between them should be flawless, the appearance of the doctor must match the child’s criteria, and they just need to have a connection. This all will make the whole procedure easier and cause less stress.
It’s wise to open the social media profiles of various orthodontic practices and show the kids their options. For example, you can see on the profile of Grinz Orthodontics some smiling faces which can make your children more relaxed before the big day.
4. The procedure is not the most comfortable one
It’s worth knowing that this is not the most enjoyable treatment in the world. It is painful and there’s discomfort for at least a week after the braces are placed. Your children need to be prepared for the challenge and accept it.
This is not something that will leave them in agonizing pain, but it’s better to let them know what’s coming than lie to them that everything’s fine and it’s not going to hurt, only to face their fury later on.
5. Comparison between now and the future is helpful to convince your child to get help
To convince your children to go to the orthodontist, you should take a picture of their jawline right now and compare it to a perfect jawline. You can ask for a professional to make an image that is digitally altered and will show the difference.
When they see how better they’ll look, they’ll easily agree on the procedure. This will also make it much easier for the pros to work on your child’s oral cavity, and create a better product. A nervous child means a nervous doctor and a poorly made product. See more about this here: https://childmind.org/article/help-kids-scared-of-going-to-the-doctor/.
Conclusion
These few points are enough for you to understand how the entire orthodontic business works. It is highly important for children and young adults. It can change their future because we all know how crucial looks are these days. On top of it, this can change kids’ points of view and feelings about themselves.
