Posted by whybraces

When people think of braces most people imagine a young teenager, usually around the age of fourteen wearing metal braces with wires and colorful elastic bands. This is because orthodontists say that children and teenagers are better suited to orthodontic procedures. The reason children and teenagers are better suited to orthodontic procedures is that their bones are still growing and will deal with the movement of the patient’s teeth far easier than the bones in an adult jaw.

This does not mean that, if you are an adult, that you should forego orthodontics if they are needed. There is any number of reasons that your dentist would encourage an adult to work with an orthodontist. After all, braces are for more than the cosmetic readjustment of a person’s teeth!

The major difference between adult orthodontics and the orthodontic procedures that children and teenagers face is that adult procedures often take longer. This is because the orthodontist needs to move an adult’s teeth more slowly than he or she will need to move the teeth of a child or teenager. When you are younger, the bones and muscles of your jaw are still forming, so moving the teeth around does not do as much damage as it will after the bones and muscles have finished growing. As an adult, you will need to allow time for the bones and muscles in the jaw to heal as the teeth are moved from point A to point B.

Another major difference in adult orthodontics is the complaint by patients that their teeth feel loose and, to some degree; it is true that the teeth are looser in an adult patient than they are in a younger patient. This is because the younger patient’s teeth haven’t anchored themselves to a jaw with filaments yet. In an adult patient, the filaments that hold a tooth in place are loosened to allow the teeth room to move. Because of this, the patient will often feel that he or she has loose teeth while his or her device is in place. The teeth will form firm holds once again, after the braces have been removed.

An advantage to having adult orthodontics is that, as an adult, you aren’t subject to your parents’ income and insurance. You can save up the money to have the treatment done or (hopefully) your insurance will cover it. In any event, you can choose different types of braces. There is no need to have a “metal mount” as an adult, especially with so many other treatment options available!

Many adults have been forced to wait to get orthodontic treatment because their parents could not afford to have the treatment done when they were younger. The good news is that orthodontics is not only for the young. Adults can have treatment done as well, with the same end result that they would have had as children. It might take a little longer, and feel a little bit different, but the good news is this: adult orthodontics is possible and it is common. Many adults have treatment done.