There were days when we used to see only teens wearing braces. Now men and women of all ages can be seen wearing dental braces. Does that mean dental braces can be worn by anyone at any age? Is there no ideal age for getting dental braces or is there one?
The Ideal Age for Wearing Dental Braces
Kids are growing, unlike adults. Their mouth area that includes the jaw is growing and expanding naturally in their age. This growth stops at a certain age. Hence the ideal age to get dental braces is by 12 or 13 as the kid has got all permanent teeth developed. So if the kid has crooked teeth or has bite problems like overbite, underbite, crossbite, etc, then the dental braces can provide a very timely help in correcting such problems.
Interceptive Orthodontics
Wearing braces much earlier to correct the way the jaw and mouth region are growing is termed as interceptive orthodontics or preventive orthodontics. The principle of interceptive orthodontics starts at the age of 6 or 7. Though it is a general practice to subject kids to dental braces after they lose all their primary teeth, it is always not mandatory. Because in certain cases, even before losing all the primary teeth, the child might exhibit such conditions like severe overcrowding and severe bite problems. Sometimes the jaw growth may also be so abnormal that it might demand early intervention.
How to know your kid needs Dental Braces?
The answer to this is very simple. We keep saying that you need to visit your dentist regularly as a family. So when you visit your dentist regularly, your dentist would inform you at the right moment about the need for orthodontic treatment to your kids.
Does that mean adults cannot get Dental Braces?
Not really. We only said that since kids mouth area grows, the intervention is early and hence the dental braces would be ideal at that age. But even adults can get the benefit of dental braces if they have bite-related problems. With older orthodontic treatment methodologies adults might have to wear dental braces for a longer period of time than the kids. But the advent of newer techniques in orthodontics has shortened the treatment period for adults too.
