We’ve recently talked about how we help children enjoy healthier smiles, treatment misalignment for kids as young as age seven. But what about teens? In today’s blog, we’re going to look at how we help address misalignment in our Fort Worth, TX, patient’s teen years, correcting crooked or crowded smiles with cosmetic orthodontics.
The Benefits of Correcting Misalignment
For teenagers, their smiles are still growing and developing, and this malleability often allows misalignment to be corrected easier and in a shorter time frame. When your child has his or her smile corrected, this offers a number of benefits for overall health. For example, since misalignment makes thorough brushing and flossing more difficult, poor alignment often leads to a greater risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and other common oral health concerns. Poor alignment also impacts appearance, and may leave your child feeling self-conscious about his or her appearance. Misalignment has also been linked to a higher risk of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding).
We know that few teens are eager to undergo orthodontic treatment, even if they would prefer a straighter smile. However, understand that we take steps to help minimize the appearance of orthodontics throughout the treatment process.
Braces
With braces, we correct minor and severe cases of poor alignment, straightening your teeth and restoring balance to your smile. We place brackets onto the teeth’s front facing sides and connect them with an arch wire. We adjust tension in the wire to reposition the teeth. Now, to help limit the impact on a patient’s smile, we can create ceramic brackets instead of metal ones. Since we can shade ceramic to match tooth structure, these brackets actually blend with your smile, reducing the visibility of braces for our teen patients.
Invisalign® Aligners
Invisalign® doesn’t require the use of metal braces at all. Instead, we using digital technology to scan and take digital impressions of your smile. Using these images, Invisalign® experts will create a series of aligners from a BPA-free acrylic material. They will be practically invisible when worn. In addition, teens may remove them before a date, special occasions, brushing and flossing, or prior to meals. They don’t cause major interruptions to your daily life, but help you achieve a more even and healthy smile in a year to 18 months. If you have any questions about our cosmetic orthodontics, or if you have a teenager in need of treatment, then contact our team today.
DO YOUR TEENS NEED ORTHODONTICS?
Our team is ready to help you and your entire family enjoy healthy and attractive smiles. To schedule your consultation and learn more about improving alignment, then please call Lake Country Orthodontics in Fort Worth, TX at (817) 236-7846. Our office proudly serves patients who live in Rome, Haslet, Azle, and all surrounding communities.
