Orthodontics for Kids & Teens

Age 8 is a great time to start looking at braces, because growing jaws are much easier to guide. We treat primary and high school kids. Your child’s journey starts with a general check-up, x-rays and a clean, to make sure their teeth are healthy before treatment begins. We then do a full work-up and send you a quote and an estimated treatment time. Treatment usually happens in two phases. Phase one (around nine months) uses expanders to guide jaw growth and create space for all the teeth, so that we can hopefully avoid removing any. There may be a short pause while the adult teeth come through, and then phase two (around six to nine months) straightens the teeth for a smile that looks great and works well. Every child is different, but most treatment takes between one and two years. Your child will visit us monthly to adjust wires, appliances and elastics, and we’ll fit in a cleaning every three to six months.

Afterwards, a fixed wire behind the bottom teeth and plastic retainers worn at night keep their new smile in place. Payment is an upfront amount for the expansion appliances, followed by small monthly fees. Book a check-up and let’s see how we can help!