Does Your Child Need Braces?

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It’s something that many parents fear, the dentist telling you that your son or daughter may need braces. We’ve all heard that they’re expensive, but we also know that they’re necessary for some kids so that when they’re older, they have nice, straight teeth.

Braces are an orthodontic cure for what’s commonly called a “bad bite”. This means that the teeth are crowded, crooked, or don’t align properly to allow a person a natural, healthy bite. Sometimes the upper and lower jaws don’t come together the right way when an individual bites down, due to misalignment, and even though the teeth are straight, the bite is not.

Possible causes

It’s highly likely that misaligned teeth and jaws are inherited for the most part, but a child who sucks on his or her thumb during tooth development, early tooth loss and accidents can also lead to crooked or crowded teeth.

Correcting the problem

Not only does correcting the teeth alignment make for a pretty smile, it also results in an overal healthier mouth. The reason is that crowded or crooked teeth are harder to clean and keep clean, which eventually leads to tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health problems. Misaligned bites interfere with chewing, speaking, and can cause wear on enamel and teeth that can lead to even more problems with jaws and jaw musculature. Correcting the problems with braces, despite the fact that the cost can be high, will provide a lifelong positive result for your child.

Tags: dental care, dentistry, Health, Orthodontics, Tooth enamel

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 9:06 am and is filed under cosmetic dentistry, tooth care for children. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.