If you’re a young person or teenager who has been told that you need to get braces, this news may at first be somewhat daunting. However, it’s reassuring to know that you’re in good company, and that a whole host of renowned celebrities have been through the same experience.

Alternatively, you might be an adult who is suffering from mouth and jaw problems, or it may simply be that as you get older, you want to improve the quality of your smile. You too may very well be surprised by the number of actors, models and people in the public spotlight who have likewise chosen to have braces as adults

What’s The Right Age To Get Braces?

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There’s probably not an age when you’re actually too old to have braces (have a look around at how many adults are wearing them now!), so what is the right age to start wearing them?

Most Australian orthodontists would agree that if it looks like you’re going to have orthodontic problems as you grow up—crooked teeth, or a misaligned jaw, for example—this is going to start showing up around the age of 7. That’s why we always encourage parents and family dentists to carry out a full orthodontic check-up on kids at this age.

At this time, if your orthodontist thinks that you’re likely to need some form of treatment later, plans may be put in place but it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll have to be fitted with braces or any other sort of appliance just yet. This is because the best time for orthodontic treatment comes later. For girls, it’s between the ages of 11-12, and for boys between 12-13.

This reason is that this is the time in your development when you’re having growth spurts, and your head and mouth are actually still growing, so this is the age when braces can actually do the best job.

So if it turns out that you do need treatment, it’s fine to wait until your early teenage years, but you really shouldn’t wait any longer that that. This is because if you get problems sorted out when you’re younger, you can prevent more serious problems kicking in as you grow up.

Also, any treatment you have when you’re a teenager is probably going to be more effective than when you’re older and your jaws have stopped growing. Plus, if problems aren’t tackled early on, to fix them up later sometimes requires surgery, so that’s why we always recommend sorting out any problems as early as is practical.

Why do teenagers n e e d b r a c e s ?

Most young people who have to have braces need them to fix a problem like

crooked or crowded teeth, or an issue with jaw alignment

(often called your bite). These problems usually start to

appear when your baby teeth fall out and your adult teeth

start to come in—this happens at about 7 years old for most

people, which is why we recommend you get checked

out by an orthodontist at around this age.

What do b r a c e s a c t u a l l y d o ?

The main job of braces is to straighten teeth. They do this by putting steady

pressure on your teeth over a period of time, which affects

how well they are spaced out or how straight they

are. To make sure that your braces are applying the right

amount of pressure all the time, you’ll usually have to

go and see your orthodontist fairly regularly so they can

adjust them if they need to.

So what’s in it for me?A great-looking, healthy smile is the most obvious

benefit of having your crooked teeth straightened out!

It’s true that some people feel a little nervous about having to wear braces—they might be worried about how they’ll look and

what their friends will say, or they might be worried that they’ll hurt (they won’t!). But think of the long-term, because that’s when you’ll

really see the benefit of braces. A bright, confident smile for the rest of your life is a great pay-off, so it really is worth it!

There are some other benefits, too. If your teeth are too close together, or too far apart, or your jaws aren’t completely aligned,

it can be much harder to brush your teeth properly and keep your gums in good shape. This might mean that as you get older,

you run a greater risk of having tooth decay and getting gum disease, which could lead to you ending up with pretty bad teeth as an adult. So another long-term benefit to wearing braces as a

teenager is that you have a better chance of healthy, easy-to-look-after teeth when you grow up.

What kind of braces are there? If you think you know braces, think again! You might be surprised at how small they are, how comfortable to wear, and just how hard they are to see!

There are now more types of braces than there’s ever been, so different types of problems can be tackled with different types of braces. We’re experts in fitting every type of brace you can think of, from traditional metal braces, to teeth-coloured ceramic braces, to lingual braces that are fitted on the inside of your teeth and no-one can see! We also fit people with Invisalign aligners, which are a kind of removable brace made from clear plastic.

metal braces lingual braces

ceramic braces Invisalign

click on the links below to find out more

3rd FloorBagot House

198 North TerraceAdelaide SA 5000

Ph: 08 8227 0336Fax: 08 8227 1626Orthodontic

Network in Adelaide (ONiA)South Australia’s biggest orthodontic network

info@onia.com.auwww.onia.com.au

Visiting ONiAYour dentist can refer you to us, but as we are specialists, a referral is not necessary.

This means you can make an appointment to come and visit us at ONiA at any time.