As orthodontists, we are often reminded of this. When we first see a patient, we are thinking about the final result - that gorgeous smile. And of course in our office, we are also thinking about how quickly and comfortably we can give you that great smile.As we have been talking about, time is a big issue. Teeth do require time to reach that smile and we do our best to minimize your time in treatment.
It is helpful for you to consider what is coming up in your life and think about how orthodontic treatment can fit into that. It is common for me to see kids who are 12 or 13 years old - grade 7 or 8. There are orthodontic problems, and I can see that we are ready to treat them.
The family or the patient may be thinking that the problems may get better on their own or its not that bad. They are not ready to start orthodontic treatment. No problem - you are ready when you are ready and that is totally alright. My job is to inform and provide people with options.
Now most orthodontic problems do not get better on their own, particularly when you are 12 or 13 years old. Time goes on and one morning you wake up and decide you want to get your teeth straightened - you want that great smile. If you wait until 16 or 17 years old - grade 11 or 12, you may not be able to get your teeth straightened and the braces off for grade 12 graduation.
There are always options and we will have more in the future, but it is nice to get that great smile and get past the braces sooner rather than later.
