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Childhood In the Motherhood Motherhood Parenting Parenting Tips

When Do Kids Get Braces? The Answer Might Surprise You.

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I never had braces as a kid, so when I had kids of my own, it surprised me that there was an entirely new treatment plan for kids with braces. So, when do kids get braces?

The answer might surprise you that early treatment is now often considered the best step.

Let’s talk about what is normal and not normal for your child’s teeth.

Every child’s mouth is different just like every child is different. My kiddos were very late developers when it came to their baby teeth, for example. My kids didn’t typically get their first tooth until they were at least one year old.

But, I know a child who was born with baby teeth!

Even in our own family some of us were born with naturally more crooked teeth than some of us. I never had braces and my teeth have always been pretty straight. So, while I still had a bit of an overbite as a kid and a few crooked teeth on the bottom, my parents ultimately decided to opt out of braces for me.

It’s normal for babies to develop teeth between 6-12 months of age.

However, you shouldn’t worry if your child’s teeth come in a little sooner or later. And the baby teeth aren’t necessarily an indicator of whether or not your child will need braces at an early age, or even at all.

What teeth do kids get in order?

According to Healthline, there is an order and a right time for everything when it comes to your child’s mouth and development.

“Your baby will get their lower teeth in each category first before teeth of a different category on the same gum line. The following timeline indicates approximately when most babies get their primary teeth.

AgeTeeth

  • 6-10 months bottom central incisors
  • 8-12 months top central incisors
  • 9-13 months top lateral incisors
  • 10-16 months bottom lateral incisors
  • 13-19 months first molars in top of mouth
  • 14-18 months first molars on bottom
  • 16-22 months top canines
  • 17-23 months bottom canines
  • 23-31 months second molars on bottom of mouth
  • 25-33 months second molars on top”

If you’re wondering when kids need braces, you should speak with your child’s pediatric dentist.

It might surprise you to know, that children can get an orthodontic evaluation for braces very early.

We were advised by our dentist with our first child, to seek out orthodontic treatment at around eight years old. While you may not think your child had orthodontic problems, and a beautiful smile, it could be that there are other complications that you haven’t noticed.

Our daughter sucked her thumb for a long time which is what prompted us to ask her dentist about her bad bite.

She had an overbite, and we were worried about whether or not we needed to do something different for her orthodontic treatment.

Since my husband and I were both kids of the 80’s and 90’s we had no idea that early intervention is key to orthodontic treatment plans.

Smiling little girl in with braces and glasses showing heart with hands. When do kids get braces
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The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your child’s best age for getting an evaluation is no later than age 7.

Gone are the days when a child gets traditional braces as a teenager.

If you are noticing other orthodontic issues like mouth breathing, tooth decay, facial development, or issues with your child’s jaw or your child’s mouth, you may want to go ahead and book an appointment even sooner than age 7.

So, how much days an early orthodontic evaluation cost?

Usually nothing!

You can ask for a referral from your child’s pediatric dentist, or simply ask other parents with children the same age as your child. When we took our kids in for early orthodontic treatment assessments, we weren’t charged anything for the initial visit.

Do kids need to lose their baby teeth before going to see an orthodontist?

No! My kids all needed early intervention with a palatal expander.

This was used in order to make more room in their mouths so that their adult teeth would come in straighter and in the right place. The idea is that traditional braces when they have all their adult teeth and are older won’t be as necessary.

A palatal expander is usually a removable retainer that your child can wear at night in order to keep adult teeth from overcrowding their tiny mouths and causing even more dental issues.

My children all needed help at a young with just making more room in their mouths. They have tiny, narrow palates naturally, so we had to make room. This is why it’s a good idea to get treatment options for orthodontic work early.

When do kids get braces before their adult teeth come in?

This happens more often than not these days. While your child may just need a palatal expander, your orthodontist and general dentist may recommend that you get some braces to help pull certain teeth together to make room for those bigger adult teeth.

Your child’s jaw is small, and as they are growing the best time to get braces is when their mouth is still moving around and changing. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I’ve talked to multiple orthodontists and dentists, and typically orthodontic treatment is now done in two phases.

If your kids get braces early, do they have to get them again?

It’s important to have an orthodontist tell you exactly what your child’s treatment plan will be. For my kids, we went through two phases of orthodontic care. While there is no set age, typically you get one set of braces, aligners, or retainers at an earlier age, and then again as your child hits their growth spurt.

I had two kiddos that had other complications like a severe overbite, and extremely narrow palette. For this reason, they needed additional orthodontic appliances that were atypical for braces treatment.

But, all three of my kids have had two phases of orthodontic care. Phase one was typically around age seven or eight, and phase two started in high school when they are typically hitting their growth spurt and are done losing all their baby teeth.

At one point, my husband and I even asked for a second opinion on our children’s treatment plan because we were surprised that they were being treated at such a young age, but it’s very common, and the standard in orthodontic treatment to get early intervention at a much younger age and help your child’s smile develop beautifully over time.

How do you choose an orthodontist?

According to the AAO,

“The best treatment is the kind performed by an AAO orthodontist, who has a minimum of 3,700 hours (2 or more years) in an orthodontic residency after 4 years of dental school. Orthodontic treatment is a customized professional service performed and monitored by a highly-educated healthcare professional. Orthodontic treatment is not a product.

Moving teeth and aligning jaws requires a comprehensive knowledge of the biological and physiological processes at play to safely and predictably move teeth into new, healthy positions. The type of treatment (such as braces or aligners) or brand of appliance is less important than the knowledge and skill of the individual who performs your treatment. Visit Find an Orthodontist to locate AAO orthodontists near you.”

So if you’re thinking that your child’s first visit to an orthodontist doesn’t need to be until they’re a teenager, think again.

An early evaluation will save a lot of time and hopefully money as you work on giving your child the healthy smile they deserve.


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Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

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Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
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Meredith Ethington
Working on figuring out my mission as we speak. ❤️
Is anyone else like this? #dietcokeaddict #pebblei Is anyone else like this? #dietcokeaddict #pebbleice #adhd #momlifebelike
Hello friends, it’s me. Meredith. Here are a f Hello friends, it’s me. Meredith. 

Here are a few things I’d tell you if I could call you all up: 

❤️ It’s ok to say no to things.

❤️ Your kiddos don’t need perfection - they need real. Emotional, Messy, flawed, etc. It helps them know their emotions are valid. 

❤️ Having anxiety or depression does not mean you’re an inadequate parent. 

❤️ Never be ashamed of asking for help or going on medication if necessary. 

❤️Kids can be draining. Take time for yourself. I promise you’ll be able to be a better, more present parent if you do this. 

❤️ Boundaries are your friend. People that make you feel like you’re not enough are not. 

Hang in there. It doesn’t get easier - like at all. But you get stronger.
I wrote this a few years ago. It helped me process I wrote this a few years ago. It helped me process feelings of never measuring up and feeling lIke someone else would do it better than me. 
I don’t feel like this very often anymore. But I know that there are plenty of mothers out there that do. You aren’t alone. 
The experience of Motherhood is definitely something that humbles even the most confident mothers. 
I wasn’t one to have much confidence once I began but I got there eventually. 
If you’re in this headspace of wondering if you’re enough I’m here to tell you:
1. You are. 
2. This is NORMAL. 
3. This post is for you. 
Read it on my substack now and consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. ❤️ It supports me as I hopefully support you.
I certainly didn’t. @a.mom.uncensored I certainly didn’t. @a.mom.uncensored
I see nothing wrong here. I see nothing wrong here.
Still not there yet. 😑 #ikea #momlifebelike #ik Still not there yet. 😑 #ikea #momlifebelike #ikeahack #jokesfordays
This was my mom’s desk when she was little. At s This was my mom’s desk when she was little. At some point it got passed down to one of her grandchildren. Then it made its way to my house and all three of my kids have used it too. 
My middle decided he was done with it and I had no idea what to do with it. It’s almost an antique at this point and I knew my mom felt sentimental about it. It’s heavy and tiny but it has good bones as they say. 
My mom lives too far away to come get it and the grandkids are all getting too big to want this desk in their rooms. 
I walked around my little house looking for a spot for it. There really isn’t one. 
Could it be an end table? Or swapped out for an entry table? 
But then I walked into my bedroom and saw this bare wall. It’s not ideal. My husband will hate it. But I’ve been thinking that I needed a study spot in my house (in a room with a door that shuts and locks) since I’m in school again at 46 years old. 
I’m hilariously too big for this little desk but also it seems just fine for sitting and writing papers. 
The older I get, the more I realize that this life is short and I’m sure it will make my mom happy to know I’m not only hanging onto this desk a little while longer but it’s going to be used for actual school work again instead of hoarding useless scraps of paper, half filled notebooks and dull crayons no one has touched in years. 
I’m breathing life back into this desk for a few more years and it seems symbolic of my taking something old (me) and using it for something new (becoming a therapist). 
I’m not super sentimental about furniture but I’m sentimental about the people that I love. 
She loves this desk so I guess I’ll love it a little longer on her behalf. ❤️
🚨Vulnerable post alert! My latest on substack: 🚨Vulnerable post alert! My latest on substack: "I feel depressed that it’s back, when I had been handling things so well.
I feel hopeless that although I know it will end, that it will come back again.
I feel embarrassed that I’m sometimes mean to the ones I love most.
I feel like I want to give up.
I feel tired.
I feel overwhelmed by the tiniest thing.
I feel alone. I feel like I’m literally the only one feeling that way in that moment even though I know I’m not deep down. But, anxiety makes me feel like that.
I feel like I just would be better off if I could disappear."
First day back after a week long vacay to the fun First day back after a week long vacay to the fun of carpool and the reality of being a responsible adult is kicking my boot-ay. Can you tell? 😅
Yup. 😂 @themumcrew Yup. 😂 @themumcrew
Best thrift find ever. 😂 Best thrift find ever. 😂
Mental health matters. ❤️ Mental health matters. ❤️
You get the full tour if you’re my friend. You get the full tour if you’re my friend.
Because apparently it belongs to no one. 😑 Because apparently it belongs to no one. 😑
Just like building muscles in our body, to have go Just like building muscles in our body, to have good mental health we need to build muscles in our brains as well. What does that look like? 

For me, it often looks like practicing things that make me uncomfortable. 
Saying no. Setting boundaries. Sitting in discomfort with feelings I don't like. Being OK if someone is mad at me. Learning to validate MYSELF. You get the idea. 
But, really it can be anything that you need to work on but makes you feel REALLY uncomfortable. So much so that it feels like your brain is literally rejecting it. If you want to build that muscle in your brain that is OK with disappointing people in favor of your own mental health, you have to treat it like muscle building in your body. 

1. Do it often enough. 
2. Start small, and work your way up. 
3. Go heavy when you're ready. 

Practicing it often enough is really when you're going to get big results. Soon you'll get used to those negative feelings that come along with telling someone no and knowing they're disappointed. You'll build up endurance to tolerate the feelings and be able to sit with them and let them go. And finally, it will become second nature to you to do all those things you didn't think you could do. Just like strength training for a marathon - consider strength training for your mind. 

One thing I'm working on is telling myself I'm OK. I struggle with seeking validation from others when really I need to be seeking validation from myself. Because MYSELF is good, worthy, and OK 99% of the time. 

What are you practicing right now? I'd love to hear if this is true for you.
Love this so much. @nellie_scales Love this so much. @nellie_scales
If you’ve loved anything I’ve written, conside If you’ve loved anything I’ve written, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack where you won’t miss any of my posts. Here’s the latest - link in profile. 

#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression #mentalhealthawareness #stopthestigmamentalillness
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