Does your child get stressed and anxious at the prospect of getting braces? It can be a big change for them to experience, and can bring on a lot of discomfort during an already difficult stage of teenagehood. Here are a few things that you can do to make this process of getting braces less stressful.
Help Them Understand
First of all, it is important to help your child to understand why they need to get braces. Explain the function of braces and how it will help them to keep their teeth healthier. You can also help them to see that braces will give them a straight, beautiful smile that will boost their confidence. If you need some help explaining the purpose and functions of braces, talk to your orthodontist. You can have the orthodontist walk your child through the different procedures to calm their nerves. The orthodontist can even use a model to show your child the different parts of the teeth that they’ll be working with as they straighten their smile.
Look into Your Options
Another way to help your child when they’re getting braces is to look into some of the available options and alternatives to braces. Braces are a great way to get a straight smile, but there are other options that are also effective. For example, some braces can be placed on the back of the teeth to reduce visibility. Your child could also wear retainers to help to straighten their teeth. Invisalign are also lower profile straighteners that aren’t as visible as braces. Make sure to take your child into your orthodontist to talk about the different options that might work for them.
Celebrate Milestones
It can be helpful for your child if you celebrate the milestones that they’re accomplishing in their braces journey. For example, if they’ve had their bands removed or made other significant progress, that should be celebrated. Talk about their progress after each appointment and reward them with a braces-approved snack or activity. This can encourage them to continue with their important habits that will help their braces to function properly, like cleaning and flossing consistently. It will also help them to feel like they’re making progress towards their goal of having straight, healthy teeth.
So, if your child is feeling nervous and anxious about getting braces, remember these suggestions for helping them. Make sure that you help them to understand the purpose for getting braces and look into the different options to find the best fit for your child. Once they have their braces on, make sure that you celebrate different milestones as they’re making progress throughout their braces journey. This will help your child to feel calm and confident throughout the whole process of getting their braces on.
Check out this article on how to speed up the treatment process with braces!
