Adult Dental Issues

Having made some mistakes in my own dental health, I try to do things differently with the kids. My kids all visit the dentist both through school and individually, and have always had great results. We try our best to remind them about brushing and keeping their teeth clean and cavity free on a daily basis, so they won't forget. We buy kid friendly flavored toothpaste, battery powered brushes and colored rinses to make brushing more fun and less of a chore to them.

At my oldest sons recent visit to the dentist, we were told he is most likely going to need braces. He has done well at maintaining his dental health, but his teeth are starting to grow in the wrong places. They have given him a little time to see if the teeth will straighten themselves as the last of his baby teeth have come out and his wisdom teeth are removed. If they don't do it on their own, then he will have no choice but to have something done with them.

You can imagine how opposed he is to this decision. He is a teenager, so the last thing he wants is a mouth fill of wires and rubber bands. He doesn't want to be made fun of or have his food intake restricted either. Not to mention, he is worried that he would have to wear his braces through the rest of high school and while starting a job.

We have tried to talk this over with him and have looked into the available options he would be facing.  Using an invisible tooth straightening system like Invisalign is one of the choices he will have. Invisalign is a great option for someone that isn't looking forward to having the clunky metal braces. It is a way to get the treatment needed, while avoiding the embarrassment and hassle of the old style.

There is no perfect answer when faced with something you really don't want to do, but that is a hard lesson for a young adult to learn. We will just continue to follow up with the doctors and see how it goes. At least now, if we find he does have to have the braces put on, he knows there is another choice besides having all that metal in his mouth for years.