The birthday of a child also marks the day a parent is born. A parent has no weekend and definitely no bonus for the 24/7 job. More responsibilities start to pour as the child grows one more year older. Life is never easy with a growing kid, and it certainly requires adjustments in both social and financial aspects to deal with your kid in braces.
In most cases, preteens and teens go through the process of straightening out their teeth with braces. Parents often need to figure out the pros and cons of braces and how this option is going to affect their family life. These days, there are options to choose from when it comes to braces in terms of material and color; the look the child wants to portray with their braces can certainly give parents fewer options to consider.
How to Start the Journey
A child usually starts this treatment at about twelve years of age to fix a crooked tooth or the gap between the front teeth. On average, a child needs to continue wearing braces for about two years. This is certainly a journey by both the parents and the child.
If your child has any problem that might need fixed in their beautiful smile, then it is better to schedule a visit to an orthodontist before the permanent teeth start to emerge. The first visit to the dentist office will result in detailed examination of oral health. Depending on individual cases the doctor might suggest using different orthodontist appliances such as bands, headgear, wires, brackets, or rubber bands to use as braces.
Braces are certainly not cheap, and a proper discussion with the doctor’s office can help you decide on the treatment method required along with the cost for both the short and long run.
Practicing Self-Discipline & Self-Control
There are rules to follow from the first day your child has braces. The doctor usually advises to avoid sticky and slimy food that will make it hard to clean your teeth. Wires and brackets can break or cut loose if hard types of food are eaten.
Some kids are compliant and some are not. Sometimes, a kid is more likely to listen to the orthodontist than the parent on how to take care of his or her braces. Maintaining oral hygiene properly can be difficult, but a willing child is certainly capable of it.
It might be a great opportunity for kids to learn self-control and discipline. Avoiding snack items like popcorns, gum, and hard candy while keeping track of retainers can be a big responsibility for a kid to have. It’s better to hold them responsible for their own hardware and let them deal with any lost materials.
Planning your Finance
A comprehensive plan of action including treatment strategy, possible timelines, and the approximate cost of all of this can be obtained at the first visit to the orthodontist’s office. There might be possibilities of getting discounts, if more than one member of the family is getting braces. At the end of day, if your child is happily smiling at you, it will definitely be worth the money you spent.