With your teenage years comes a lot of change, and Sparkman Orthodontics wants to set your teen up for success with a dazzling smile that inspires confidence. Braces are a time-tested appliance with modern advances that give a teen a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing smile. Not only are we proud to serve as your local authority on all things orthodontics, but we are also proud to be your neighbor orthodontist. This means we give teens personalized treatment experiences, so they feel seen and heard throughout every step of the process. Our team is passionate about delivering beautiful smiles and building lasting relationships. There is no better place than Sparkman Orthodontics for your teen to get the high-quality corrective treatment they deserve.
How Long Will I Wear Braces?
We tailor each treatment plan to our patients’ orthodontic needs and goals, so every timeline looks slightly different. The time your teen spends in braces depends on the extent of their oral health issues and how well they take care of their appliance. While every patient varies, most braces treatments last for 6-30 months. After they get their braces taken off, they will need to protect their dream smile by wearing a retainer for a period of time determined by one of our knowledgeable doctors.
What Foods Will I Have to Avoid When Getting Braces?
As your teen works toward life-changing results, they’ll need to avoid certain foods to protect their treatment progress. Hard, sticky, or chewy foods are famous for pulling at wires and brackets and extending treatment times. If your teen takes these foods out of their diet temporarily, they’ll have an easier time achieving the long-lasting benefits of a beautiful, healthy smile.
How Do I Care for My Teeth While Wearing Braces?
For your teen to experience the maximum benefits of braces in the shortest timeline, they must maintain excellent oral health. There is typically a short adjustment period while they get used to brushing around their new brackets and wires, so we suggest they spend a few extra minutes on their dental hygiene routine each day. If food debris or harmful bacteria gets stuck behind a wire or bracket, it could sit on their teeth and begin to break down the enamel. This breakdown of enamel could lead to more significant issues such as tooth decay and cavities.
Your teen can do a few things to ensure their braces stay clean and their teeth stay healthy. We recommend our patients use fluoride toothpaste, a soft orthodontic toothbrush, and floss threaders to clean around their braces properly. These products are designed to make it easier to keep appliances clean, so your teen doesn’t have to struggle to have a healthy smile while in braces.
How Do I Protect My Mouth When Playing Sports with Braces?
At Sparkman Orthodontics, we’re proud supporters of local sports, and we love providing high-quality treatment to all of the players who come into the office. If you look in the stands, you may even see someone from the Sparkman team cheering them on as they score the game-winning goal!
Wearing braces doesn’t mean your teen has to stop doing the things they love. To keep their braces safe, they should wear a braces mouthguard to protect both their appliance and their soft tissue if something hits their face.
How Much Do Braces Cost?
The cost of braces varies depending on the extent of a patient’s needs. However, we are constantly working to make our services accessible to the community, and we will work with your family to help your teen get the treatment they need. In pursuit of this goal, we offer flexible financing plans to help your family budget for this life-changing treatment. We also work with many insurance providers to keep out-of-pocket costs down.
Benefits of Braces
Braces have remained popular for generations because of their many benefits. If your teen chooses braces, they’ll experience improved aesthetics, oral health, confidence, and more. We’ve seen countless patients transform during treatment as they achieved a smile they were proud to wear. It gave them the confidence they needed to brave their school day, college search, and more.
Orthodontics is well known for creating beautiful smiles, but did you know corrective treatment can be the key to better oral health? Issues such as misaligned bites and overcrowded teeth can lead to difficulty brushing, eating, biting, and speaking. When we correct bites and adjust crooked teeth with braces, teens benefit from better functioning smiles that are as useful as beautiful.