Braces? Who hasn’t had them?

 If you’re a young person or teenager who has been told that you need to get braces, this news may at first be somewhat daunting.  However, it’s reassuring to know that you’re in good company, and that a whole host of renowned celebrities have been through the same experience.

Alternatively, you might be an adult who is suffering from problems caused by mouth and jaw problems, or it may simply be that as you get older, you want to improve the quality of your smile.  You too may very well be surprised by the number of actors, models and people in the public spotlight who likewise have chosen to have braces as adults.

When young people are advised that they need braces, it’s usually to address problems such as having crooked or crowded teeth, or problems with your bite (how your teeth line up when you close your mouth or chew) caused by the alignment of your jaw. A misaligned jaw can also make it harder to brush your teeth and maintain good oral hygiene, and so correcting this when you’re young can help you to prevent tooth decay, cavities and gum disease as you get older.

Often these problems occur in young people when your baby teeth fall out and are then replaced by adult teeth. These adult teeth may not grow in at the correct angle, are twisted and crooked, or badly crowded because your mouth is too small. This is why the teenage years are often the ideal time to get braces, because at this age your head and mouth are still growing, which means braces can do their job most effectively. However, it is not uncommon for people to have braces much younger than this.

While it’s true that most people get braces when they are in childhood, there is an increasing number of adults who choose to get braces later in life. It may be that you want to improve your smile, or are having problems with your bite, which is causing you problems with speaking, breathing, or chewing which can in turn make it more difficult to maintain good oral hygiene. Alternatively, you may be suffering from TMJ (temporomandibular joint) headaches. If any of these are the case, then braces might offer you a solution, irrespective of your age.

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