Braces for Teenagers
If you’re a Greater Vancouver teenager who needs braces, you likely have lots of questions – particularly with respect to how braces will affect your daily life. We can help!
How long will I have to wear braces?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions about braces. Orthodontic treatment can take anywhere from 9 months to 5 years from start to finish. Most of the time, though, it lasts between 12 and 24 months.
The duration or your orthodontic treatment depends on a variety of factors, some of which are in your control! These factors include:
- The problem that is being corrected - The position of your teeth and the extent of the problem going in will have an impact on the duration of treatment. Everyone is different, and for some people, treatment just takes a bit longer.
- If you’ve had phase I treatment - Some teenagers have already undergone orthodontic treatment when they were younger (what’s called Phase I treatment). If you’ve had Phase I treatment, then you’ll probably have a bit of a head start!
- How you care for your teeth and braces during treatment - The efforts you make to take care of your teeth and orthodontic appliances while you undergo treatment can affect how long it ends up taking. If you follow the care instructions the Greater Vancouver Orthodontics team give you, you likely won’t need to wear your braces for longer than originally planned.
What can I eat?
With braces, you’ll be able to safely and comfortably eat most of the foods you normally do, with a few exceptions. For the most part, you’ll want to avoid the following:
- Hard foods - hard pretzels, nuts, chips, hard candy
- Chewy/sticky foods - gummy bears, taffy, gum, caramels
- Foods that you bite into - apples. corn on the cob, celery, carrots
What does Phase II Treatment involve?
Phase II treatment – or comprehensive treatment – involves full braces that are applied only after all the permanent teeth have erupted, usually between 11-13 years old.
What are my treatment options?
Orthodontic treatment has improved a lot over the years.
Today, you don’t have to worry about setting off any metal detectors, and there are a variety of treatment options you can choose from.
Here are a few options that teenagers tend to go with:
Coloured Braces - You’ve embraced the fact that braces will be part of your life the next couple of years. Why not have a little fun with them by adding some colour?
Lingual Braces - Lingual braces are placed on the back side of your teeth, meaning they are completely hidden from view most of the time. The result is that fewer people will know you’re wearing lingual braces, unless you tell them!
Invisalign Teen - Invisalign helps straighten your teeth with a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. That means no wires and brackets!
With Invisalign clear aligners, many people may not even notice that you’re straightening your teeth.