When it comes to raising a teenager, there are endless choices to consider. Helping them find the right schools, classes, friends, clothes, activities, and colleges…it can all feel like too much! Thankfully, when it comes to supporting your teen through their orthodontic treatment, you have a team of professionals at Varallo Orthodontics who can help you through all the decisions, big and small!
Dr. Varallo is an expert at supporting children, teens, and adults as they select the right orthodontic treatment, and he is ready to help you and your family with your decisions as well! Keep reading to see his list of recommendations for the best orthodontic treatment for teens.
What Treatment Options Are There?
These days, there are so many different treatment options, for adults, children, and teens alike. Some of the options we offer at Varallo Orthodontics include:
Damon Metal Braces
Damon braces are similar to what you think of when you think of classic metal braces. With metal wires and brackets that secure onto the top and bottom rows of your teeth, these braces resemble typical metal braces in many ways, but with a few key differences. Damon braces innovate on the traditional model by adding a memory system that slowly moves the teeth with gentle pressure. This is accomplished by giving each Damon bracket its own self-ligating system. That means, each bracket has its own source of pressure! This eliminates the need for elastic bands and makes treatment times quicker and office visits less frequent!
Clear Braces
Clear braces are exactly what they sound like–the same as metal braces but made from clear ceramic! Because they are so discreet compared to other braces, many adults and teens prefer them to classic metal braces.
There are a few things to consider when choosing clear ceramic braces–because of their color they can easily be stained from eating and drinking. To prevent staining, they will need a lot of diligent care and daily cleaning. Also, because they are made of ceramic, not metal, they can be broken more easily and the wearer should be extra diligent about not chewing crunchy or sticky foods while wearing them.
They do tend to cost a bit more than traditional braces, and might sometimes take longer to align the teeth. For many of our patients, these qualities are worth it to keep their braces from being so glaringly visible. Just keep this in mind as you consider ceramic braces!
Invisalign
Invisalign has been on the market for about 20 years now, and since then it has become one of the most popular forms of orthodontic treatment, and for good reason. Invisalign is made up of a series of clear aligners that are worn almost 24/7, and are removed just when eating, drinking, and brushing. You will switch out your aligners every one to two weeks to slowly shift your teeth into alignment.
Invisalign retainers are clear and require little to no maintenance aside from brushing out the retainer daily. They need to be worn consistently in order to be effective and are much more dependent upon patient compliance than other types of orthodontics. They can also be easily lost since they need to be removed consistently when eating and drinking.
What Works Best for Teens
Each teenager is different, and that means our treatment suggestions will be different for each teen! Our approach will always be to talk to teens and parents to get a feel for their preferences and maturity level before making firm recommendations in any direction.
As a general rule, we recommend Damon metal braces to all teens as they are simple to care for, and they are a fast and efficient treatment method. While they are more visible, they can be easily cleaned and cared for by any maturity level.
We recommend Invisalign aligners for mature teens who are really committed to their orthodontic journey and can be trusted to care for their retainers and not lose them. These teens need to be totally sold on their treatment, and willing to put in the effort to make sure they don’t waste precious time and money by losing or breaking aligners regularly. Parents, feel free to discuss this option with your orthodontist before moving forward with Invisalign for your teenager!
Find Your Best Fit at Varallo Orthodontics!
Find Your Best Fit at Varallo Orthodontics!Regardless of which orthodontic treatment is the best fit for you and your family, you can count on Varallo Orthodontics to be with you every step of the way! We provide the variety of treatment options that you need for your teen, and are conveniently located in Arlington and Burlington! Give our office a call to schedule a free consultation appointment today and take one step closer to getting your teen a beautiful smile for a lifetime.