Braces － the “influencer” for healthy children's teeth in the Canton of Solothurn

Our hearts fill with joy when we see the bright smiles of children. This should be taken for granted but quite often it is not. Children with crooked teeth or large gaps are often bullied by other children. Straight and healthy teeth help develop stronger confidence. So what to do if some teeth step out of line? Or if the gap once considered cute becomes larger? This is the moment when children’s teeth need some intervention ensuring that they are positioned perfectly in the long term – and ensuring the innocent smile of your child

• The school’s dentist recommends braces for your child?
• You wonder whether an orthodontic treatment could be useful?
• What do you and your child have to expect?

Our specialist orthodontic, Med. dent. Kristina Sleiter-Bajic, will take all the time necessary to advise you and your child. Together with her team, she will explain to you in detail:

• how to avoid that dummy and thumb shift the teeth,
• why crooked teeth can lead to health problems,
• from which age onward braces are useful and how the orthodontic therapy is carried out.

Crooked teeth do not only have negative impacts on children’s confidence. Twisted or very narrow teeth can cause health problems:

• The risk of developing tooth decay and similar diseases increases because very narrow teeth cannot be brushed very well.
• Where teeth in the upper and lower jar do not fit well, the mandibular joint of your child will be strained causing headaches and neck pain.
• Does your child lisp? Misplaced teeth often affect the way we speak.

Do your child’s teeth grow crooked? Is the jaw’s position asymmetrical? There are numerous options available to positively influence the growth of teeth and jaw bones of children and teenagers.

Ideally, we check that your child’s teeth and jaws are developing well before the age of 10. At this time, the teeth are in a transition period. What exactly does that mean? The first milk teeth are shed and the “second” permanent teeth start to grow.

Now we can see:

• if the permanent teeth find enough space in the jaw,
• if they grow straight,
• if upper and lower jaw develop symmetrically.

Does your child have extensive dummy or thumb sucking habits? They both influence the development of the jaw and the first milk teeth. This can be recognised as early as at the age of 4. Do the first milk teeth grow in crooked way? It is very important to take the necessary countermeasures in due time. This can help your child avoid complex tooth corrections at a later age.

We are happy to explain to you what gentle preventive measures are available to help you wean your child off the thumb or dummy.

From the age of 10, braces achieve good results.

Your school dentist will examine how your child’s teeth are growing and how the jaw is developing during the annual check-up. Should the school dentist recommend a visit at the orthodontist, please make an appointment with us.

Between the ages of 10 and 12, the jawbone grows very quickly. During this time, good results can be achieved with removable and fixed braces as they can actively push teeth and jaw bone in the right direction.

From the age of 14 onward, we usually recommend fixed braces. The jaw grows more slowly. With fixed braces, we can move the teeth more effectively into the right position. Your child doesn’t like the idea of having a wire frame in the mouth? Today there are discreet, tooth-coloured braces and brackets available. Furthermore, we help your child getting used to the braces.

Your child will be the focus of our practice, we will explain every step of the treatment in an age-appropriate way.

During the first appointment, Med. dent. Sleiter-Bajic will examine your child’s teeth and jaws. She will examine the mandibular joint and the connected muscles and find out whether the teeth are crooked or if your child puts a wrong strain on the jaw.

Then, technology sets in: we take pictures of the teeth with a camera. After that we x-ray the jaw.

The images show:

• the teeth’s positioning in the jaw,
• the teeth’s grow status,
• the jaw bone’s development status.

Together, we will discuss the results. Is it necessary to correct the teeth of your child? If we recommend an orthodontic therapy, we will discuss with you:

• which braces are going to be used,
• the duration of the therapy,
• the costs of the therapy.

Removable, fixed or (almost) invisible braces – which model is the right one for your child? We will explain to you which braces are most suitable.

Removable braces

Does your child still have his/her milk teeth? Removable braces are a good solution. With gentle pressure, they influence the growth of the jaw bone and the newly growing teeth. There are various models available and we will be happy to show them to you in a personal meeting.

The greatest advantage of this variant is, at the same time, its greatest disadvantage: it’s up to your child to take the braces out. This would be perfect for cleaning the teeth. However, children tend to remove the uncomfortable braces while playing or at school. Unfortunately, this interrupts the treatment again and again and prolongates the therapy.

Maybe the palatal plate of your child’s braces causes discomfort while eating and speaking. This will wear off after some time. Our team is ready to help your son or

daughter with many useful tips and hints so he or she will continuously wear the braces with ease.

Fixed braces

Fixed braces remain in the mouth. Fixed braces consist of three components:

• The brackets are glued onto the teeth and serve the purpose to fasten bands and wires. They can be made out of metal or almost transparent ceramic.
• Metal bands instead of brackets are attached around the large molars to enable an effective moving process.
• Rubber straps and metal wires in the small slots are connected to the brackets and are regularly adjusted. This method ensures that the teeth are moved very slowly into the desired position.

Retainer

Once your child’s teeth are in the right position, we have to take care that they will remain in this position in the long term – by using so called retainers. The teeth have to get used to their new location. They have a habit to shift back to their old, accustomed position. This is prevented by a retainer.

There are removable retainers your child has to wear only at night. Fixed retainers, usually a small wire, are placed invisibly at the back of the anterior teeth. Whether the solution should be removable or fixed, is something we will decide together at the end of the orthodontic treatment.

Find all experts under one roof in the Dentalspecialist clinic. Find more information how we take care of your children’s dental health with regular prophylaxis.

Any questions? Here you find the answers to the most common questions. If you don’t find the information you are looking for, just book an appointment – without any obligations for you.