Many children get the bad news in mid-childhood that they need to wear braces to correct dental problems. As we always say, it is important that children go to the dentist regularly because although it is true that wearing braces is not to anyone’s liking, it is also true that sometimes wearing them early can shorten the time, or even avoid having to use a more complicated dental appliance in the future.

The problem with braces is that they often coincide with a bad time in the maturation of children. Either it happens at the age of 9-10 years or directly in adolescence, which is a very hard stage for kids. They are old enough to know that it is for their own good and you can reason with them, but at the same time it is the age of complexes, of not feeling good about oneself and being afraid of not fitting in.

All of us adults have gone through that phase and we know it’s not silly.

And how can we help them to accept it?

• Talk to him about what is good for his future. When you’re done wearing it, you’ll have a beautiful smile that you’ll be proud of.
• Tell him that it’s like wearing a cast: it’s not comfortable, nor the most aesthetic thing in the world, but when we take it off we have managed to fix a ‘problem’ in our body.
• Tell him that it is not a problem that will fix itself and that there are many adults who wear braces to correct problems that should have been fixed when they were young.
• The percentage of children who need braces is very high: wearing them does not make us weirdos.
• An orthodontic appliance requires constant maintenance and specific products. Keeping our orthodontics in good condition will also help us to learn to take care of delicate things with consistency.

How are your children doing? We know that it is not an easy task to help them in that trance, but if we manage to transmit the idea that it is not a punishment but a luck we will have won the battle.