At what age would a kid normally start wearing braces? How long do they normally wear them for?
And has it changed over time? For instance, would a kid in the 70’s be fitted with braces at a much older/younger age than today?
I started wearing mine the 6th grade. I think I was 12 then maybe?
As far as changing over time, not really the age, but the methods that dentists used and the materials in which they use them. Those “mouth peice” braces would have saved me alot of flack in gradeschool.
I used to work for an Orthodontist. His practice was to wait until all deciduous teeth were lost but his philosophy was the earlier the better.
His reasoning for that philosophy was that the teeth more easily moved at a younger age.
Most of the kids wore their braces for about two years, except in the case of an extreme maloclusion, and then wore retainers for a year or so after that.
Often, when there was extreme overcrowding of teeth in the mouth, he would order extraction of all four 3rd bicuspids before proceeding with the braces.
I got mine in grade six and had them off and on (mostly on) until very early in grade 11. This was when most people had braces. Some people had them longer, and I don’t think many people had them earlier. I remember thinking I’d be a bigger geek when I got them, but then a lot of others got them too.
I’m 21 now.
I had all sorts of doodads in my mouth during this time. I had a retainer (which I’m still supposed to wear sometimes) this horrible chunk of plastic, and a wire at the top of my mouth widening my top set of teeth.
But I would put my kids through it. It’s worth it in the end!
I got mine when I was about 7 (2nd grade?) and they were off before the5th grade.
My younger daughter had braces in conjunction with a palatal expander when she was eight years old, long before all her permanent teeth were in. The idea was to spread her hard palate apart in order to correct a severe underbite and then to move all the teeth back together again with the braces. It worked very well, she now has enough room in her mouth for all the teeth, and her upper teeth are very straight. She may, however, need another round of braces at the more traditional age of 12 or 13.
The orthodontist we went to gave the opposite advice from Myste’s. He said to wait until the permanent teeth (except the wisdom teeth) were in. As it happens, my kid’s permanent teeth coming in were actually pushing the crooked front ones into better alignment as they emerged. So I guess it just varies from person to person. I’m sure there a lot of factors that enter into it.