Braces for Children
Braces can correct a bad bite after the majority of permanent teeth have emerged. Before the 1980s, braces were steel bands that fit like rings around childrens teeth. Wires that were attached to a bracket on each band pulled the teeth into alignment. This was very uncomfortable to children, and it was often very embarrassing for them as well.
Since then, orthodontics has made many strides forward. Braces are no longer manufactured from metal bands. Using an adhesive, dentists now bond the brackets directly to the front of the teeth. They are much less noticeable and much more comfortable for children to wear than were the braces of the past.
Believe it or not, braces can actually move children’s teeth through bone. This is because bone responds to tension caused by brackets and wires by making special cells on either side of a tooth. These cells remove bone on one side of the tooth and make bone on the other, moving the tooth in the process.
Children usually have to wear braces for one to three years. Because it is hard for children with braces to clean their teeth, frequent dental cleanings are paramount. Otherwise, a child may have permanent white stains develop on his or her teeth if plaque is not regularly removed.
After the braces are taken out, retainers are used to hold the teeth in their new alignment. Some retainers are removable, and others are bonded in place.
Young children can be fitted with braces, so long as they have enough permanent teeth. Conditions like an excessive underbite or overbite are very effectively treated with braces. If braces cannot be used due to insufficient numbers of permanent teeth, functional dental appliances can be substituted.
Functional appliances are usually used to correct misalignment or bite problems by holding the space created by a missing primary tooth. Such devices are fixed in place for extended periods of time, or they are made to be removable and worn for only a short period of time. With functional appliances, the protruding upper front teeth of an eight-year-old, which are very prone to injury, can be moved back into a less vulnerable and much more attractive position.
If a child is less than 10 years of age, the normal growth of his or her permanent teeth will sometimes push the upper front teeth back together. A dentist can x-ray these teeth to determine if the gap will close on its own. If not, braces or functional appliances can be used to correct these problems in children’s teeth.
Labels: braces, children with braces
posted by Dental Expert at
9:02 PM
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