How to prepare your children for braces
Once your children have lost all of their primary ‘baby’ teeth, their dentist may recommend they start their Orthodontic treatment. Children starting brace treatment can be as young as 7 or 8. When they’re that young they may not understand why they need to have braces so it is important that, as a parent, you talk them through the process of having braces fitted and the benefits of going through treatment. This blog will hopefully help you prepare your child and help you encourage them to come to terms with the idea of having braces.
Straight smile
The main benefit your child has from starting treatment with braces is that they will gain perfectly straight teeth that will last them a lifetime if they remember to wear their retainer afterwards. You can talk about this with your child when you are explaining why it is important that they start treatment.
Prepare them for their treatment
Make some time to spend with your child before they have their appointment with the Orthodontist so you can talk through what is going to happen. Talk them through what will happen on the day of their appointment and what the Orthodontist will do. If they have already met the Orthodontist and are preparing to have their brace fitted, then you should let them know that the Orthodontist will be friendly and that having braces fitted isn’t a scary process.
You should then talk about how they may feel some discomfort after having the braces fitted. This discomfort isn’t uncommon as it is caused by the new pressure that the teeth have been put under. You will need to assure your child that this discomfort will only last a couple of days. If it lasts longer, you will need to book them an appointment with their Orthodontist just to make sure everything is okay. In the meantime, applying a hot water bottle or ice pack to the outside of your child’s mouth will help.
Personalise their braces
A good way to get your child excited for their braces is by letting them choose the colour of their elastic bands. Younger children may like to draw out how they want their braces to look, with every colour in the rainbow available, the choices are endless.
Soft foods
You will need to make sure you stock up on soft foods for your child to eat after they have their braces fitted. Foods that require little to no chewing are best on the first day or so after your child has had their braces fitted. As the teeth will be under pressure as it is, you won’t want hard foods to cause pain for your child. Food such as soup, yoghurt, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs are great. After a day or two, you can start adding harder foods into your child's diet.
We hope this blog has helped you prepare your children for braces. If you have any questions about their appliance, or starting private treatment with them make sure you contact us on 0161 884 1481.
- Mohammad Malik
