To people who ask the MC20 Dental Practice if it is better to wear braces as kids, teenagers, or adults and when to do orthodontic treatment, our answer is this.
Childhood and early adolescence represent the ideal time for orthodontics, as the bones are still malleable and allow to realign the teeth easily. Treating the mouth promptly also prevents any pathologies related to dental malocclusion. At what age is it better to wear braces?
When is it better to do the orthodontic treatment?
The best age to put on braces and do an orthodontic treatment is the one before the last milk tooth falls, i.e. between 12 and 14 years. At this age, all the final teeth have erupted, but they have not yet settled and the development of the maxillofacial bones is also about to complete. Those who intervene in this phase can obtain fast and lasting results from the orthodontic treatment. However, at MC20, there was no lack of cases that required early orthodontic intervention.
For example, in children between 7 and 9 years of age, orthodontic treatment is carried out when anomalies of the facial massif with alterations in the development of the bones and jaw occur. Think, for example, about the massive growth of the jaw, the crossbite, and the mismatching teeth. Thanks to early orthodontics, MC20 dentists achieve several results:
- they guide the growth of the maxillary and/or mandibular bone,
- correct mandibular and / or maxillary protusion and retrusion;
- guide the correct eruption of permanent teeth.
12-14 years: the best age for orthodontic treatment
The age between 12 and 14 years is indicated to start an orthodontic therapy if there are no anomalies, given that the appliance placed when small risks being counterproductive. In addition to the physical repercussions, there are also psychological repercussions, and MC20 dentists remember that often the crooked teeth of young children tend to straighten on their own upon completion of development.
The children’s mouth has a reserve of space that allows the permanent teeth to find a physiological accommodation and only if this does not happen can one intervene to straighten them with orthodontic appliances.
Orthodontics for adults: when you need it
As mentioned, the ideal age for orthodontic treatment is between childhood and adolescence, but there are no age limits, and more and more often adults also turn to the dentist to straighten their teeth. An orthodontic intervention in adulthood can lead to good results, although due to the reduced mobility of the teeth it requires a longer treatment period.
Not only that: after having worn the fixed appliance, you will continue to wear a mobile restraint appliance, to maintain the result and allow the teeth to return to their original position. Adults who turn to MC20 for orthodontic treatment do so for the aesthetic improvement of the profile, even if surgical treatment is necessary for the presence of skeletal disharmony.
Orthodontic treatment: which appliance to choose
The choice of the most suitable device depends on the characteristics of the patient and in orthodontics, a distinction is made between:
- fixed appliances, which can only be removed by the dentist;
- mobile appliances, which can also be removed by the patient and are worn at certain times of the day to be agreed with the dentist.
The fixed appliances are the traditional orthodontic appliance with metal brackets, which today are increasingly replaced by ceramic or transparent brackets to limit the aesthetic impact. There is no shortage of appliances for lingual orthodontics, which correct the teeth on the inside rather than the outside.
Mobile appliances are those that can be removed and that are used to correct wrong childhood habits, as well as having the function of a restraint device after orthodontic treatment. Finally, the dentists of the MC20 clinic specialize in invisible orthodontics with transparent masks, the so-called dental aligners, and the Invisalign appliance.
This is the most suitable solution for adults since the mask does not have an aesthetic impact and does not cause discomfort, and allows the patient to remove it to eat and clean the teeth.
The advice of MC20 dentists in the presence of crooked teeth in the child is to wait for the complete development of the face around 12-14 years and only then agree with the trusted dentist on the best orthodontic treatment.