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Children's Braces

We offer a host of options for young people who may need help from a dentist to correct any concerns with their oral health that you or your family doctor have noticed.

This can include issues with their bite or jaw position, fixing crooked or spaced-out teeth, chronic bad breath, or problems with oral hygiene. Bringing your child in for a check-up with one of the highly experienced dentists will enable us to identify the cause of any issues and make the best recommendation to prevent them becoming worse or more difficult to correct in the child’s future. Children's or teen braces are a tried-and-tested treatment option for correcting and straightening a young person’s developing teeth and fixing any problems they may have with their bite, jaw position, or alignment, setting them up for a great start in life with a healthy, beautiful smile to boost their confidence and self-esteem at home and out in the world. 

Free Consultation

What age should my child get braces?

What age should my child get braces?

It is best for your child’s dentist to monitor the development of their teeth and jaw positioning while they are transitioning from their baby teeth to their permanent adult teeth. While regular dental visits are important for maintaining your child’s oral health and reinforcing good hygiene and habits, we recommend a specifically focused orthodontic consultation (one dedicated to examining and assessing your child’s tooth and jaw positioning, to make sure they are developing properly and coming in straight) when your child is between 8 and 9 years old. 

While most children’s adult teeth will not yet have come in at this stage, it is important for your dentist to determine the severity of any potential orthodontic issues for your child. At this visit they will be able to assess how any problems presenting at this stage are likely to develop, so that an early intervention treatment plan can be set up for your child. Acting preventatively and early in the majority of cases greatly reduces the amount of time that your child would otherwise need for orthodontic treatment, either as an older teen or later in their adult life. Your dentist will even be able to give you a full estimated timeline from the start of their orthodontic treatment to its completion. 

If treatment is necessary for your child, the recommendation of braces is usually reserved until they are a little older. In some cases, children are advised with a removable appliance or retainer at this earlier age to guide the growth of their jaw and encourage correct alignment, allowing them to achieve optimal jaw position and paving the way for quicker, more effective results with full braces later on. 

Your child’s dentist at Truly will monitor their progress with a removable retainer, and the introduction of fixed ‘train track’ braces will be carefully timed once your child has lost all of their baby teeth, to take advantage of their adolescent growth phase – typically between 10-13 for girls and 11-15 for boys. As your child is growing rapidly at this life stage, their dentist can place fixed braces to utilise and guide this growth to correct even severe issues of crooked teeth, gaps in tooth placement, overbites or crossbites, prominent front teeth, and misalignment of the jaw.

Orthodontic dentistry has come on in leap and bounds in the last 10 years, meaning that flawless, straight teeth can be achievable for almost everyone. At Truly we see patients for orthodontic assessment and corrective treatment with braces right through adolescence up to adults of any age. It is never too late to seek help and start working towards your perfect smile, no one is too old to reach the results, function, ability, and appearance they want, so do not hesitate to book an orthodontic consultation for your child or teen at our Dublin clinic today. 

Benefits of Children's Braces

Benefits of Children's Braces

  • Enable your child to smile with confidence, with the kind of self-esteem that will last them all of their lives
  • Encourage correctly aligned and positive growth of the jaw and avoid jaw joint problems in later life
  • Reduce risk of catastrophic dental injury to front teeth 
  • Straight, regular teeth are much easier to keep clean, promoting good oral hygiene habits and reducing risk of gum disease and cavity development 
  • Improve chewing efficiency by fixing issues with your child’s bite 
  • Avoid the need for complex and time-consuming cosmetic dentistry in the future
  • Trustworthy, time-tested approach to effective, reliable teeth straightening 
  • Pre-treatment is suitable for children as young as 8 years old 
  • Affordable, cost-effective treatment alongside our host of available payment plans making this an accessible treatment for all budgets

What is the process for my child getting braces?

What is the process for my child getting braces?

Initial Consultation 
We recommend that you attend with your child for their initial consultation. Our front of house, dental, and nursing teams are all highly experienced with patients of all ages, and will be sure to put your son or daughter at ease, whether they’re an energetic 8-year-old or a nervous older teen. During this first visit your dentist will discuss with both of you any concerns your child is having with their teeth, and also their ideal smile goals. 

Photographs, X-rays, and impressions of your child’s teeth will then be taken. This allows the dentist to fully assess how their teeth are developing and to form a detailed orthodontic treatment plan for your child. At this visit we will take the time to answer any questions you or your child may have about their treatment, including a detailed estimate of how long the complete treatment stages should take, and we will also be able to discuss all payment plan options we have available. 

Removable Orthodontic Appliances
Early intervention into your child’s orthodontic health can greatly reduce the amount of time, pain, and effort spent correcting issues with tooth positioning, angling, and jaw alignment later in life. Depending on their developmental stage and any emerging issues with incorrect jaw alignment, some children will be required to wear a removable orthodontic appliance (often called a ‘retainer’) in preparation for fixed 'Train Track' braces being placed later on. If your child’s dentist recommends this step it is important not to miss it, or leave it too late, as fixing jaw discrepancies at a later stage is costly, time-intensive, and invasive, with surgical intervention often being the only alternative. 

Your child’s removable appliance is custom-made to their mouth from the impressions taken during their initial visit and will be fabricated off-site in our specialist dental laboratory. Your child’s dentist will place the appliance to make sure that it fits, and at this check-up both you and your child will be given clear, detailed instructions on how to properly wear the retainer and keep it clean. Initially when your child begins wearing their appliance, they or you may notice a change to their speech, such as slurring or pronunciation difficulty with certain sounds. This is quite normal to occur temporarily when a patient is new to a wearable appliance, and is nothing to be worried about. After a few days of constant wear these issues will quickly resolve and your child will be able to speak as normal. Most patients between the ages of 8 and 11 will have to wear their removable appliance for about 9 months, and your dentist will advise on this timeline when preparing your child’s treatment plan. It is important to attend for regular visits during this period, to allow your child’s dentist to monitor their progress and record development when using the retainer. These check-ups will be scheduled every 4-6 weeks by your dentist. 

Fitting Train Track Braces
Your child’s dentist will monitor their progress with their removable appliance, and in accordance with their treatment plan and jaw and dental development in real-time will advise on the best time to introduce braces into your child’s orthodontic treatment. Conventional Train Track style braces are the most common, effective choice for pre-teens and teenagers at this stage. Once it is indicated your dentist will discuss this stage of the treatment plan with your child and you, and schedule their appointment to have the non-removable braces placed.  

There is absolutely no pain associated with the placement of fixed Train Track braces, and no injections or drilling are required at any stage during this appointment. Your child’s dentist will use air and water to clean and dry their teeth before sticking a metal or clear ceramic ‘bracket’ onto each tooth with a special kind of dental glue. These brackets are then linked together with a metal wire, which applies tension to the teeth to encourage them to move into their ideal positions. 

Once your child’s braces are securely in place, the dentist will ensure both of you are familiar with the specific care and maintenance instructions for the style of braces chosen, and our front of house team will schedule your child’s first check-up monitoring appointment before you leave the clinic. Your child will be expected to attend for check-ups every 4-6 weeks to allow their progress to be monitored and adjustments to be made to their appliance, as the orthodontic wire will need to be progressively tightened as their teeth begin to move into the correct positions. 

It is best to prepare your child for the slight discomfort they may feel in the days following the placement of their new brace – they may find it encouraging to know that this means the treatment is working, as the period immediately following placement and tightening of the braces are when teeth are beginning to move position. Any pain, tenderness, or sensitivity felt at this time should ease after 24 hours and can be safely and effectively managed with age-appropriate over-the-counter pain relief medication.

Aftercare 
Whether your child was rocking the braces look or counting down the days until their treatment plan was due to end, their final appointment at the completion of their orthodontic treatment with braces is a momentous occasion. Their dentist will have given them an exact timeframe for the total estimated duration of their treatment during the very first consultation, and when it is time to complete a final review before removing your child’s brace the dentist will schedule this appointment in. Removing the braces will not take long, and once your child’s brace is off and the treatment complete, the dentist will take a final exam and discuss the success of the treatment with your child, answering any questions they may have at this stage, and ensuring they are fully happy with the finished result. 

At this point it is often recommended to have a full dental clean to remove any staining that may have built up with wear of the fixed appliance over time, and your child’s dentist will be able to discuss this with you both at this final review. They will also make sure your child is aware of the importance and responsibility of maintaining their newly straightened teeth through excellent oral hygiene habits, as well as explaining any future risks or complications you and your child should be aware of. 

All orthodontic treatment comes with the risk that the teeth will return or relapse to their original position, and this risk is heightened for younger finishers of treatment with braces, whose treatment will likely end while their bodies are still growing and developing. To prevent relapse, your dentist in this final review will strongly recommend and go through the procedure of wearing a removable orthodontic retainer every night. Truly also offers a fixed retainer that is permanently bonded to your child’s teeth lingually (meaning to the back of the teeth, out of sight) to reliably stabilise and maintain your child’s new, flawlessly straight teeth over their lifetime.  

Questions? Answers

When should my child have an orthodontic consultation?

We recommend that you bring your child to their first orthodontic consultation from between 8 to 9 years old. This allows their dentist to evaluate any current or potential problems and to proceed with early intervention treatment, including putting a long-term treatment plan in place, if any issues of concern are identified. 

For the majority of young people who require fixed ‘train track’ braces, we will fit their brace between 11 and 14 years, once all of their baby teeth have fallen out. 

How long will my child be wearing braces?

For the majority of young people, orthodontic treatment with braces will last for around 2 years, however this will depend on the complexity and severity of your child’s specific case. Your child’s dentist will be able to provide an exact timeframe estimate of how long they will need to wear their braces at the initial assessment consultation. 

When you and your child are ready, contact our friendly and knowledgeable front of house team at Truly Dental to book an appointment  for an initial children’s orthodontic consultation. 

Are there any cosmetic or invisible braces available for my child?

We offer both metal and clear-finished braces. Clear braces are made of a tooth-coloured ceramic material, and do cost a little more and require more maintenance than conventional metal braces. Both options are covered by our available payment plan options to facilitate all budgets, goals, and priorities. 

Your child’s dentist will also be happy to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each style of brace with you and your child at their initial consultation, to help you both make an informed choice for their treatment:

  • Metal braces are stronger and less prone to breakage compared to clear braces 
  • Metal braces are less prone to staining than clear braces 
  • Metal braces are easier to keep clean than clear braces 
  • We offer a multitude of different coloured bands so your child can customize their braces experience and embrace dental healthcare in style 
  • Clear braces are less noticeable and are often considered more aesthetic than metal braces 
Can my child eat normally with braces?

Your child will still be able to enjoy most foods as normal while they are wearing braces. 

However it is important to avoid hard or sticky foods with braces, to reduce the risk of breakage. Foods like crunchy bread, popcorn, chewing gum, toffees, and nuts should be avoided. If your child has opted for clear ceramic braces, it will also be best to reduce or avoid any consumption of tea or coffee, or any very pigmented foods (like instant noodles, some snack crisps, heavily spiced foods) as these will all stain your child’s clear braces. 

Especially if your child is younger or has a smaller bite in general, they should cut up hard foods that are typically eaten raw - such as apples and carrots - into smaller pieces, rather than eating them whole.  

Finally, it is vital for your child to maintain excellent oral hygiene and reduce or avoid altogether any consumption of sugar while wearing braces, to minimise the risk of tooth decay. 

How regularly does my child need to have their braces adjusted?

Your child’s dentist will generally arrange to see your child every 4-6 weeks to monitor their treatment progression and to tighten the brace as needed. 

Are there any risks associated with braces for children?

While there are no orthodontic interventions that carry absolutely zero risk, in short, the benefits to your child of having early, preventative, and corrective orthodontic care versus waiting until any problems or predispositions will certainly worsen over time, far outweigh the potential risks involved with wearing braces. 

The chief issues to watch out for with braces are an increased risk of tooth decay, and an effect known as ‘root shortening’ - both of which can be easily mitigated for and prevented by correct, regular care and maintenance of your child’s braces while they are wearing them:

Your child’s dentist will impress upon them how vitally important it is to avoid sugary foods and drinks and to maintain excellent brushing habits while they are wearing braces, and this is a message you can and should reinforce at home. 

It is easier for plaque, caused by sugar and inadequate brushing, to build up and spread along a set of braces, and this plaque build-up can quickly lead to decalcification (white, discoloured marks on the tooth), tooth decay, and cavities. Fixing these new issues can involve your child’s dentist having to remove their braces before the treatment results have been achieved, and so keeping up with proper brushing after every meal and cutting out sugar is a must! 

During all orthodontic treatment with any kind of braces, an effect known as resorption, or root shortening, takes place. Any changes to the length of the teeth roots is generally exceedingly mild in younger people, and while rare even then, is more common if this is a patient’s second orthodontic treatment – so it is far more common in adult treatment with braces than for children or teenagers. Nevertheless, your child’s dentist will be monitoring for this condition throughout their treatment, at every regular check-up, so it is important that you ensure your child is attending their scheduled dental check-ups. 

How much do braces for children cost at Truly Dental?

Braces for children and teens at Truly start from €3000. Prices can range up to €5000 for more severe cases, particularly those where a removable appliance or retainer may be needed to start with. 

We believe that high quality dental treatment should be accessible to all. We understand that every patient’s situation is different and we can work with your needs to cover the cost of your child’s treatment through one of the number of payment plans that we offer, to support you in managing your treatment costs. 

Your dentist will prepare an orthodontic treatment plan for your child during their initial consultation, which will include a breakdown of the total cost. Your child’s dentist will have a wealth of experience in advising on the various options for treatment we offer and can go through these with you alongside breakdown of costs through our available payment plans, to help you choose the right brace and the right plan for you and your child.   

We provide one plan that allows you to pay in monthly instalment for your child’s braces and regular monitoring check-ups, with absolutely no down payment or deposit required and at 0% interest. 

Ready to speak with a professional, experienced care team about your child’s dental health?

Call (01) 5252670 today or click here to book your consultation today with our experienced orthodontics team

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