For Teens
Orthodontics For Teens
It is common to think of starting orthodontic treatment as a young teen, once all adult teeth have finished erupting, this usually happens between the ages of 11 to 14. Orthodontics is good at any age, but it is most ideal for teens since orthodontists can use their growth spurt as an advantage of moving the teeth and jaw into their ideal position.
Dr. Courtney can still accomplish many movements on full grown adults, however, such skeletal issues like crossbites, underbites, and excessive overbites can only be corrected to an extent since the jaw bones are solidified, and could be a good candidate for jaw surgery.. This makes early teenage years the most prevalent time to start. The self-confidence that a beautiful smile can produce is perfect for your growing teenager.
CHOOSING YOUR ORTHODONTIC JOURNEY
Invisalign Teen
This innovative technology is the high-tech, new-age way of moving teeth. The clear plastic aligners fit snug over the teeth, they are removable, discrete and comfortable. Aligners are worn 20-22 hours a day, removing them only for food, drinks (besides water), brushing and flossing. Each case comes with a series of aligners, wearing each aligner for 7 days each. The aligners apply pressure to the teeth, steadily moving them stage by stage.
Metal Braces
Our most popular option in our teen patients. Traditional metal braces are great for correcting all orthodontic issues. The brackets are glued onto the teeth, which require less hour-to-hour compliance than Invisalign Teen. It is very important to keep your teeth and braces clean, which means brushing after each meal (at least 3 times a day). Customize your braces with colors that can be changed at each visit!
Clear/Ceramic Braces
Our ceramic brackets are clear or translucent in color and are self-ligating! Which means there is a door that opens and closes around the wire to avoid using clear rubber bands or ties, which can discolor when eating dark-pigmented food such as spaghetti or mustard - for an overall inconspicuous look. Or you can customize your clear brackets with color ties (as seen in this picture), for an extra pop of color.
Gold Braces
Back by popular demand! Gold braces have gained a lot of popularity in our office. The gold bracket that we carry is a ‘soft’ gold color. When worn with opal colored ties you can make it look even softer, and when worn with gold colored ties it can brighten the soft gold up - we also use gold wires to complete the look. They work just as well as metal or clear brackets, and tend to be slightly lighter in color than our metal brackets.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
Traditional braces require a series of wire sizes, changing along the way into stronger, thicker sizes. All the teeth are connected to these wires, and the wires move the teeth along the way. This process is mapped out at the beginning of your treatment, and following these steps is required for the best possible results. Depending on the severity of your case, the average time in braces is around 18-24 months. It is imperative to come to appointments on a 4-6 week basis and keep everything very clean in order for us to remain on track.
Invisalign Teen has gotten better and better over the years. Dr. Courtney is a wiz at the design process and as long as our teens practice excellent compliance by wearing them 20-22 hours a day, Invisalign can actually be up to 6 months faster than braces! The advanced technology on the Invisalign design site allows us to focus on certain areas that need to be moved, versus moving all the teeth within that jaw. This allows us to ‘cut corners’, if you will, and make more streamlined movements.
OPEN BITE
SPACING
DEEP BITE
REVIEWS FROM PARENTS IN OUR OFFICE
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Faq
Yes. We recommend wearing a mouthguard when in braces to protect your lips from the brackets if/when contact to the mouth is made. Invisalign should be worn while sports are being played, and would not require an athletic guard.
Most of our patients have started looking forward to getting braces because of the way they look. Other teens have concerns about the appearance, if that is the case, they may want to consider Invisalign. You can also remind them that the long-term benefits of orthodontics will absolutely outweigh the short term discomfort of having them.
No, they will not. The space available for the front teeth does not increase as you age. In most people, after the permanent molars erupt, the space available for the front teeth decreases with age.
Yes. We understand your busy schedule, and we are happy to help you make the most of your time. On some occasions, we may request to speak with a parent or require a signature for some reason, so we ask that you check in with our front desk before dropping off your child.
Most pediatric dentists graduate kids around 16-17 years old to the family general dentist. We don’t have any strong recommendation on this unless there is a special condition that requires specialized care by the pediatric dentist.
