Braces for children

Partial braces to improve alignment and create space for permanent teeth to erupt.

Suitable for toddlers from the age of 7

Treatment period — 8-10 months

from 30 500 rub

Everyone has probably heard the phrase «bracket-system». And one of the most common opinions is that it is used only in adults or teenagers. Let's find out if this is true.

A bracket system — is a non-removable appliance consisting of locks fixed on each tooth and arches passing through these locks. If necessary, such a system has additional elements: springs, chains, buttons, etc. This type is really only fitted to adults and teenagers when all permanent teeth have erupted.

But there is a special type for the youngest patients – it is partial brace system. It is also called apparatus 2x4, because such a system is placed on 4 permanent incisors and 2 permanent molars with an arch and additional elements: springs, chains. Partial braces can be placed on either one jaw (more often the upper jaw) or both jaws, depending on the treatment goals required.

To begin treatment, a child must have two permanent molars and four incisors on one jaw, which most often corresponds to age 7-9 years. The remaining teeth may be deciduous or in the process of falling out and erupting permanent teeth.

What kind of braces are used to treat children?

Children are fitted with the same braces as adults – these can be ligature or self-ligating, metal or clear braces.

Ligature – these are braces without a cap, in which the arch is held in place with special elastic rings (ligatures).
Self-ligating have a cap, and the arch is tightly secured in a closed ligature-free lock.
Both types can be transparent and metal, however, children are more often installed metal braces – they are less fragile, which minimizes breakage in active children and reduces the number of unscheduled visits to the doctor.
The advantage of self-ligating ones is the absence of additional rubber bands in the system, which accumulate plaque and complicate hygiene for a young patient. The main advantage of ligature braces is that the rubber bands holding the arch can be not only transparent, but also colored — for kids, choosing the color of rubber bands on the locks at each visit can be a great motivation for treatment.

Indications for the installation of a partial bracket system.

A partial bracket system is installed at the age of 7 to 10 years in the following cases:

Reverse overlap of the lower incisors of the upper ones;
Pronounced crowding of incisors;
Lack of space for eruption of permanent teeth;
Narrowing of the upper jaw;
Early removal of baby teeth (as a result of untimely removal, teeth are displaced, which leads to the development of malocclusion)

How does the installation work?

There are 2 types of braces installation:

Straight — brackets are fixed one at a time directly behind the teeth.
Indirect — braces are transferred to the entire tooth row at once from a customized mouth guard.

Braces are installed in a direct way for a child, since indirect fixation requires additional manipulations (removal of impressions), and erupting teeth can cause poor-quality planting of a portable mouth guard and worsen fixation.

The procedure for installing a partial bracket system takes from 15 to 30 minutes:

The little patient sits comfortably in an armchair and puts on special protective glasses from the bright light of the dental lamp.
The doctor installs a plastic frame that pushes back the lips and cheeks, creates a good view and prevents saliva from entering the surface of the teeth.
A purple or blue gel is applied to the outer surface of the permanent incisors and molars for a few seconds – the gel prepares, disinfects the tooth enamel and improves bracket retention. The gel is then thoroughly rinsed off with water and the tooth surface is dried.
Next, the doctor installs braces with fixing material on the tooth, checks their position, and illuminates them with a special lamp for several seconds.
After installation, the doctor removes the plastic frame, rinses all teeth with water and installs an orthodontic arch. Orthodontic treatment has begun!

How often do I need to see an orthodontist and how long should I wear braces?"

Partial braces on average need to be worn for 8-10 months. During this time, all the main tasks are solved and the conditions for the correct formation of the dento-alveolar system are created – the incisal overlap is improved, space is created for the eruption of permanent teeth and crowding is eliminated. It is necessary to visit an orthodontist regularly every 1.5-2 months.

Treatment results in the shift bite with a partial brace system

Advantages

Your child's braces are fitted for the duration of treatment and cannot be removed.

This is one of the biggest advantages of this system, as treatment is continuous (as long as you don't miss scheduled visits to the orthodontist). The big challenge with removable plates or eliners — is the dependence of treatment on cooperation with the patient and parents. How well the patient wears the plate will determine the outcome. In addition, removable appliances do not always have the technical ability to solve a number of orthodontic problems, unlike a bracket system.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of orthodontic treatment are related to the young age of the patients. This refers to the possible occurrence of tooth decay and poor hygiene due to lack of motivation for good brushing and unformed manual skills. Orthodontists, dentists and hygienists pay great attention to the level of hygiene – every visit is monitored and if necessary prescribed professional hygiene and lessons in controlled cleaning. The lessons help to develop the necessary manual skills.

According to our protocol, children have regular dental checkups, attend quarterly cleanings with applications of calcium and fluoride preparations – all this minimizes the risk of tooth decay during this period.

How are braces removed?

The procedure of removal, as well as their fixation is quite fast – up to 30 minutes. The orthodontist uses a special tool to grasp the bracket and gently clicks it off the tooth. The process is painless, but the child may feel some pressure on the tooth when unhooking the bracket. Next, a polishing rubber is used to remove the remaining fixation material from the surface of the tooth.

What are the alternatives?

At the age of 9-10 years, some orthodontic tasks can also be used:

aligners
removable plates

The main disadvantage of removable appliances is that the child may not wear or lose them and then the effectiveness of the treatment will be low.

Is additional orthodontic treatment required in older adulthood?

In most cases, partial braces may be sufficient to avoid having to repeat treatment in adolescence. However, in serious cases where the jaw is too small and the teeth are large, it is possible to repeat treatment with a bracket system, but with the support of all permanent teeth. Treatment in childhood is called the first stage of orthodontic treatment, and after all permanent teeth erupt during active growth, the second stage begins. Having a preventive phase can reduce the complexity and cost of treatment in adulthood.

Full braces are placed between the ages of 12-14. This is the best time to address virtually all pathologies of the dentoalveolar system (except for those cases that clearly require oral surgery). At this age, taking advantage of the active growth of children, we can correct pronounced crowding without extracting teeth, stimulate the growth of the lower jaw, and correct an incorrect bite.

Where to start?