Children are naturally concerned when they learn they will be getting braces. They’ll be wondering, “Will they hurt? How will I look? What can I eat? Will I get laughed at?”
We have helped thousands of kids improve their smiles, so we understand a lot of what they are going through. We know that the first few weeks of adjustment are the most challenging, but we also know how smiles start to transform as treatment progresses—and that’s incredibly rewarding.
Braces will be an adjustment at first, but you’ll be experiencing the benefits of treatment in no time. The following tips before getting braces (and after) will show you how to help your child adjust to braces and face the next few months with confidence.
1. Teach them the ‘big picture’!
Children often focus on the ‘here and now’ because the future is a long way off. However, focusing on the benefits is an excellent strategy when teaching your child how to prepare for braces.
Remember your childhood years when your confidence about how you looked was regularly challenged by pimples, a bad hair day, or a poorly chosen outfit by a parent, even if you never wore braces. Facing a few months of braces can stir up the same kind of feelings.
Show them before and after pictures of people with braces. Find images of their favorite singers, movie stars, or YouTube personalities. Knowing that lots of other people, including famous ones, get braces and they are not alone can help them feel a lot more comfortable, especially when they get a sense of the shiny new smile they will have when the braces finally come off.
2. Tell them what to expect—we’ll help you!
Most children will be nervous about getting braces placed and have concerns about whether it’ll be painful or uncomfortable. It helps when they know that fitting braces is a straightforward, simple process for an experienced orthodontist like Dr. Senties.
Before braces treatment can start, your child will require a professional cleaning from your family dentist. Doing this will ensure that there are no underlying dental issues to ensure that your child’s teeth are in good health and ready for braces.
The first step is to glue the small brackets to their teeth, which are then connected together using a thin archwire. Once these are in place, Dr. Senties will place rubber bands around the brackets to hold the archwire in place.
Your child gets to choose their braces colors (colors of the rubber bands holding the wires) every time you visit us for a check-in/adjustment appointment!
3. Support clean, healthy teeth.
Teaching your child how to prepare for braces will involve showing them how to clean their teeth when wearing braces. It’s essential that your child commits to excellent oral hygiene to prevent tooth discoloration and bacteria buildup.
We’ll tell you everything you need to know about keeping your teeth clean with braces when you visit us for your complimentary consultation! It’s important to encourage your child to keep up with their dental hygiene throughout their treatment.
Your child should still be visiting the dentist every 6 months or so as well for professional cleanings during their treatment. Your dentist will play a role in keeping their teeth clean and assessing for problematic conditions.
4. Prepare for mild soreness.
During the first few weeks, your child may feel some discomfort from the new sensations and pressure on their teeth. It may be a good idea to have over-the-counter pain relievers and orthodontic wax (to place over certain brackets or wires) on hand for your child.
While their teeth and gums are adjusting to braces, they may experience some mild tenderness and soreness around the teeth and gums.
During this adjustment period, your child may want to choose softer foods, like mashed potatoes, apple sauce, soft meat, bananas, rice, etc. It’s a good idea to add soft items to your grocery list to prepare for your child getting braces.
Once the soreness is gone after a week or so, they can resume (most of) their normal diet! It’s best to avoid hard, crunchy, chewy foods, like caramel, hard candy and nuts throughout their treatment to prevent damaging their braces.
5. Learn all you can about braces.
At your first visit, we’ll give you tons of information about life with braces. Our goal is to ensure that you leave our office with answers to all of your questions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time with questions.
We want you and your child to feel confident and informed every step of your treatment process. In the meantime, you can research other parents’ experiences with braces and check out our blogs for more tips.
Still have questions about how to help your child adjust to braces?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions! We love to hear from you. We’re here to guide you through your treatment process, from your very first visit, to your last appointment.
If you’re looking for a top orthodontist in San Antonio, we’d love to meet you! Request a complimentary exam for you or your child today.
