Are you concerned about your child or teen’s teeth development? By seven, children should be seeing an orthodontist to track their teeth development.
Orthodontists will take x-rays of your child’s mouth and discuss treatment plans. Depending on your child’s or teen’s teeth, they may need to get braces.
Don’t worry if your child isn’t thrilled about getting braces. There are many alternatives to braces your child can get to make them happy. Continue reading to learn more about braces alternatives.
How Much Do Braces Cost?
Despite the benefits of traditional metal braces, your child may not want them. Your child may not like the appearance of the metal.
They can also be uncomfortable for children to wear or maintain proper oral hygiene. The metal may poke your child’s gums. Also, the adjustments can hurt.
Treatment may only take up to several months to complete. Your child may also have to wear them for several years. It’s important for your child to like what they’re wearing because it’s a long-term commitment.
The price is also a commitment because traditional metal braces can cost up to $10,000. Luckily, there is a more affordable option that will get you the same results.
Braces Alternatives
It’s best to discuss the alternatives to braces with your orthodontist. Here are a few braces alternatives to consider bringing up at your appointment:
Clear Braces
Clear braces are similar in composition to traditional metal braces. The difference between the two is that clear braces have a less noticeable coloring.
The brackets of clear braces are either porcelain or ceramic. The orthodontist tints the porcelain or ceramic to match the color of the patient’s teeth. The minimal porous design helps keep the bracket’s coloring.
Like metal braces, clear braces depend on elastic ligatures to help straighten teeth. Each elastic ligature is clear to minimize the look of braces. Doctors change the elastic ligature every appointment to keep the smile looking fresh.
As previously stated, clear braces will help straighten the patient’s teeth. They also help correct underbites, overbites, and crossbites. Clear braces correct even the most severe cases of these scenarios.
On average, the cost of clear braces ranges from $3,000 to $10,000. The corrective process may take anywhere between 6 to 24 months. This is dependent on the patient’s treatment plan given by the orthodontist.
Retainers
Another alternative to braces is retainers. Orthodontists may offer retainers to those with minimal oral corrections. Retainers can correct a patient’s teeth’ positions like gaps.
Orthodontists often give retainers to those who have completed their braces treatment plan. Retainers help maintain the oral progress that the patient achieved during the treatment.
Metal and plastic are the materials commonly used to make retainers. They are custom-made to guarantee that they fit the shape of the patient’s mouth. Retainers also mimic the alignment of the teeth.
A retainer may be removable or fixed. A removable retainer allows the patient to remove the retainer from their mouth. You cannot remove a fixed retainer because it attaches to the teeth.
Removable retainers may cost up to $600 for the patient. They may last anywhere between five to ten years. On average, a fixed retainer may cost patients up to $500, which lasts up to five years.
Aligners
Aligners are a great option for those who have minimal orthodontic issues. Aligners are able to straighten teeth and reduce gaps in the smile.
The material of the aligners is medical-grade plastic. This allows the plastic to be malleable but durable. The material is also clear, so it is hardly noticeable when wearing.
Patients will receive a series of aligners to wear throughout their treatment. They will wear these aligners anywhere between one to two weeks.
Patients wear their aligners for a minimum of 22 hours. They may only remove them to clean or eat. Patients must follow the directions of the orthodontist to see results.
Aligners may cost up to $8,000 to complete the treatment. Treatments may take anywhere from six to 22 months to complete.
Invisalign is a popular aligner brand that may work for you. It’s best to discuss the options with an orthodontist for teeth safety.
Veneers
Veneers are an option for patients struggling with cosmetic and structural issues. This is a cosmetic procedure and gives quick results to the patient. Veneers can fix the appearance of crooked, broken, or misshaped teeth.
During application, an orthodontist will shave off a layer of enamel. After they will apply the veneers to the exposed teeth. On average, it takes two appointments over the duration of three weeks.
Resin or porcelain are common materials used for veneers. This material allows orthodontists to manipulate the coloring of the veneers.
Patients will be able to get natural-colored veneers, which allows them to be discrete. The materials also have natural teeth properties such as light reflection.
Veneers may cost up to $1,500 per tooth. Although, more expensive than other alternatives to braces they last longer. Resin veneers can last up to 8 years, and porcelain up to 12 years.
Learn More
We hope we provided insight on what options your child has other than braces. Each option is dependent on the alignment and appearance of your child’s teeth. You can find out more about braces alternatives by making an appointment with an orthodontist.
Contact us to make your child’s appointment to begin their teeth care journey. You can also schedule a free exam for your child with us. We can’t wait to hear from you.