How Do I Know If My Child Needs Braces?

You love your child’s smile. Few things warm a parent’s heart like seeing a smile of pure unadulterated joy on their child’s face. If you take a closer look at the teeth that make up that grin, you might find yourself wondering if your child needs braces. As it turns out, there are a few indicators that you can look to.

Poor Alignment

Since one of the primary purposes of braces is to bring teeth into optimal alignment, poor alignment is one of the more obvious indicators that braces may be necessary. The alignment of your child’s teeth can make a huge difference in more than just how pretty their smile is. It also impacts how healthy they are. Teeth that are too close together or too far apart are more prone to damage. Poor jaw alignment that causes overbites, underbites, or crossbites can also be addressed with braces.

The Timing of Lost Teeth

This one may be a little more difficult to keep track of, but when teeth are lost can have an impact on how necessary braces are for your child. Tooth alignment problems can easily happen if baby teeth are lost too early, since that can cause teeth to move into the open space while the permanent teeth are still developing. Losing baby teeth late can also create spacing and alignment issues, since the positioning and alignment of teeth is heavily dependent on where space is available.

Consult with an Orthodontist

While indicators can be helpful to help you as a parent gauge whether or not your child is going to need braces, there are plenty of nuances that go into making that decision in the end. Orthodontists are specially trained and educated to evaluate people for braces. They can take the nuances and oral characteristics unique to your child into account to decide whether or not braces are necessary, when they should be applied, and what options are available. Talk to an orthodontist if you have concerns about your child needing braces.

If you’re wondering if your child needs braces, you probably aren’t the only parent wondering that about their child. Things like poor alignment and when baby teeth are lost can be indicators that braces may be in your future. At the end of the day, an orthodontist will be able to tell you best. Make sure you ask an orthodontist what the best thing to do will be for your child.

We’ve helped tons of kids find their best smile. Check out our Smile Gallery to see what we’ve been able to do for them and what we could do for your child.