Braces have been the bogeyman of dentistry for years. Besides being uncomfortable and hard to clean, they come with a series of dietary restrictions and may even cause damage to the teeth surrounding soft tissue. However, for years, they were the only effective solution for solving orthodontic problems—until Invisalign in Pembroke Pines appeared.
With Invisalign®, you can forgo the bothersome requirements of braces, making it an especially attractive option for children who you can’t trust to maintain an adequate diet and practice discretion to avoid harming their complex set of brackets. This doesn’t mean any kid can get Invisalign, though.
In this article, we’ll explore the age restrictions for Invisalign to help you better understand how it can help your family—and how it can’t.
Invisalign is an alternative to conventional wire braces for straightening teeth. With it, the teeth are covered with trays that are inserted into the mouth in place of brackets. The sets are designed to shift your teeth progressively, and patients should exchange them every one to two months.
Because these trays are removable, cleaning and brushing their teeth will be much simpler for your kid. This reduces the possibility of them developing painful cavities.
Moreover, the trays are clear, making them less noticeable. If your kid is shy or growing more concerned with their appearance, this reason could also make Invisalign a more attractive option in their eyes.
There’s no age restriction for Invisalign. People of all ages are choosing it because it is transparent and less intrusive than traditional braces. However, there is a minimum age requirement for Invisalign.
Experts concur that children should not wear clear aligners until they are seven years old, as this is the age at which their permanent teeth begin to erupt. At that point, a child should have their first appointment with an orthodontist so that we can take X-rays and assess whether their adult teeth will erupt properly.
If there are no immediate spacing or eruption issues, the orthodontist will often wait a few more years until all adult teeth have erupted before recommending orthodontic treatment.
The efficacy of the treatment also depends on you wearing your trays for the suggested 20 to 22 hours every day. If this is not done, the process will take longer than it needs to, and the outcome of the treatment could be affected.
And in smaller kids, ensuring that they wear their aligners habitually can be hard.
If your kid suffers from crooked, shifted, or misaligned teeth but doesn’t like the idea of undergoing a lengthy and uncomfortable traditional braces treatment, Invisalign may be the ideal solution. Nevertheless, like any dentistry treatment, there is an age limit to clear aligners.
If that’s their case, waiting one or two years won’t do them any harm. And if you’d like a professional’s opinion on your child’s growing smile, reach out! Here at Village Square Dental, our team of experienced orthodontists is ready to help.
*Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/ or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.