What Is a Good Age to Get Braces?

What Is a Good Age to Get Braces?

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that all children see an orthodontist before their seventh birthday. As a parent, scheduling that first appointment can be daunting. The good news is that many children don’t require immediate, or early, treatment. The first appointment creates a benchmark, kind of like a starting point.

The age of seven is when a good majority of your child’s primary (baby) teeth have fallen out. Several of their secondary (permanent or adult) teeth have erupted. Other adult teeth are waiting above the gum line and are visible on x-rays. An orthodontist can see projected growth patterns, monitoring a patient until any necessary orthodontic treatment is required.

Although some children do require earlier intervention, most just receive monitoring. When early intervention, or Phase 1 Treatment, is necessary, the orthodontist will use this time to:

• Lower risk of damage to protruding front teeth
• Guide your child’s jaw growth
• Work to correct bad oral habits, including oral hygiene instruction
• Improve your child’s confidence and self-esteem
• Guide positioning of erupting adult teeth
• Correct abnormalities in the shape of your child’s mouth

Although there is no hard-and-fast rule to follow. Each person has a unique jaw structure and smile. Some just arrange themselves perfectly while others become misaligned. In answering the question, “What Is a Good Age to Get Braces?” every person will receive a different answer.

Are You or Your Child Ready for Braces?

If you think your child needs braces, please take them to an orthodontist for a professional evaluation. If you think that, as an adult, you might need braces or Invisalign, seek the opinion of an orthodontist (opens in a new tab). After a child is seven, it is never too early or too late to receive a checkup.

If you are not sure, the AAO provides a comprehensive list of potential problems that may stress a need for braces or other orthodontic care:

• Child or adult has difficulty chewing
• Late or early loss of primary teeth
• Excessive or unusual thumb sucking habit
• Protruding front teeth
• Odd or “unbalanced” facial appearance
• Overly-crowded jaw causing misaligned teeth
• Underbite, overbite, or crossbite

Other potential signs include breathing through the mouth consistently, grinding teeth or clenching the jaw, or chewing/biting the inside areas of the mouth. In many instances, this simple cliche will carry you a long way: when in doubt, check it out.

Schedule Your Consultation

The good news is that Carvalho & Roth Orthodontics offers a consultation. Whether you or your child needs braces, you can request a consultation and know for sure. Carvalho & Roth is a family practice, so the entire family can receive care in any of our four locations.

Whether you are near our Marlborough, Newton Centre, Northborough Office, and Worcester our staff is looking forward to meeting you. If you are more comfortable scheduling via telephone, you may call the office nearest your home:

Call (508) 485-8788 to reach any of our offices.

For more information, please visit our social media pages on Instagram (opens in a new tab) and Facebook and our orthodontic blog.