Traditional Braces – Flower Mound, TX

Straighter Smiles Through Brackets & Wires

A dentist examining a child with braces

Even today, traditional braces are the most popular way to straighten teeth. That’s only natural – this treatment has aligned grins effectively for decades! At this point, many people think of it as one of the rites of childhood. Naturally, then, you can trust the braces from Dr. Rogers at KidSmiles Dental and Orthodontics. They’ll ensure your children get straight pearly whites in little time. To learn more about them, continue reading or book a consultation.

How Do Traditional Braces Work?

A close-up of a child’s smile with traditional braces

As you might already know, teeth shift if left alone. Their connection to tiny jaw ligaments allows them to move over time. Consequently, they can turn crooked and unfit to the point that they lower your quality of life.

Fortunately, traditional braces can reverse and prevent this outcome. They rely on brackets and wires that put pressure on crooked teeth. In doing so, they gradually push pearly whites into a straighter, more aligned position.

Generally, a braces treatment lasts a year or two. This timeline lets the dentist adjust the archwire every 6-8 weeks. That way, the appliance remains functional and fixes smiles until the very end.

What Orthodontic Issues Can Braces Fix?

A child wearing braces on their crooked teeth

Before your child gets braces, they’ll attend a consultation with Dr. Rogers. This visit helps her assess the relevant orthodontic issues, oral health, etc. Based on her findings, she can determine if braces suit the kid’s needs.

As part of the consultation, Dr. Rogers will see if your little one has problems that braces solve. These include the following:

Bite Misalignment

Bite misalignment may seem trivial, but it can lead to severe problems. Left unchecked, it tends to cause TMJ dysfunction and bruxism (i.e., teeth grinding).

Thankfully, braces can easily fix this dilemma. Proper ones slowly move a patient’s jaw muscles into alignment. As a result, the bite is made nice and even.

Crowded & Crooked Teeth

Crooked and crowded teeth don’t just look bad; they harm oral health. For example, they erode tooth enamel due to rubbing each other excessively. Similarly, their crookedness leads to tooth sensitivity and a higher risk of cavities and infections.

Of course, metal braces can address this situation. They gently guide a smile so its teeth don’t overlap or rub one another.

Gapped Teeth

Gapped teeth are a cosmetic problem and a health-related one. After all, the spaces between them look unpleasant and house germs that damage mouth tissues.

All that said, braces can (and do) correct tooth gaps. Aligning a smile with brackets and wires closes up the spaces between teeth.

Caring for Your Braces

A boy with braces brushing his teeth in the bathroom

For better or worse, braces need regular maintenance to work. Your child thus needs to clean and care for them daily. To help them do so, try using the following tips:

  • Practice Good Dental Hygiene – Make sure your child brushes twice daily for a full two minutes. At the same time, ensure they floss at least once a day. (They can use flossers if necessary.)
  • Avoid Risky Foods – If your youngster bites into hard, crunchy, or chewy foods, they might break the archwire or dislodge the brackets.
  • See the Orthodontist Often – It’s crucial that your kiddie attend orthodontic adjustment visits. As they do so, our team will assess their braces to ensure treatment is going well.

Understanding the Cost of Traditional Braces

Teen smiles with braces

Traditional braces are an effective and versatile way to straighten out a misaligned smile. While this treatment delivers significant benefits for a patient’s health and appearance, it’s important to know what kind of financial commitment is involved. During your orthodontic consultation, our team will evaluate your teeth and jaw to develop a personalized plan to realign your bite. We’ll be sure to explain the entire planned timeline of your treatment as well as how much you can expect to pay. Read on to learn more about paying for braces in Flower Mound.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Traditional Braces

Lady smiles with braces

Each orthodontic treatment is different, and the overall cost is influenced by factors like:

  • Severity of alignment issues: More complicated cases take more time to treat.
  • How long the treatment lasts: Wearing braces for a longer time usually means needing more checkups, adjustments, and supplies, raising the overall cost of treatment.
  • The patient’s age: The teeth of adults are more firmly set than those of children who are still developing. It takes more time to shift adults’ teeth, so their treatments generally cost more.
  • Needed follow-up appointments: Braces require adjustments every two to eight weeks. Needing more of these appointments can raise the overall cost.
  • Required materials: Many patients will need to wear appliances like space maintainers, palatal expanders, and headgear. These all add to the price tag.
  • Treatment compliance: Failing to precisely follow your orthodontist’s instructions can lead to delays in treatment that add to the cost.

Professional Braces Vs. “DIY” Braces: Which Costs More?

Lady thinks something over

Some people try to straighten their teeth with household items like fishing lines, superglue, and paper clips, but these cheaper methods can cause injuries that are expensive to treat. A few of the risks of DIY orthodontics include:

  • DIY methods cannot reliably deliver long-lasting results. Without an orthodontist’s guidance, your teeth are likely to shift back out of place after treatment.
  • Amateur braces can injure teeth, gums, and jawbone, increasing the risk of infection. Some people lose teeth because of DIY orthodontics.
  • Realigning a smile without orthodontic supervision can create new bite issues or even cause jaw pain or a TMJ disorder.
  • You can spend more repairing the damage caused by DIY braces than you would have by getting professional treatment in the first place, and you’ll probably still need to wear braces anyway.

Receiving your orthodontic treatment from a professional can prevent all these issues, sparing you from more expensive treatments later on.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Braces?

Orthodontist smiles

While not all dental insurance plans cover orthodontic treatment, those that do usually pay for traditional braces rather than clear aligners. Braces are more likely to be covered if they address medical issues like a misaligned jaw than if they address aesthetic issues. However, many plans cover braces for patients under eighteen years of age.

If your plan pays for braces, you can usually expect up to 50% coverage. While the specifics depend entirely on your particular plan, our team will be more than happy to help you figure out the details. You may be able to use a Health Savings Account or a Flexible Spending Account to partially pay for your treatment.

Options for Making Braces Affordable

People go over paperwork

Our office offers several ways to help make orthodontic treatments easier on the wallet. These include:

  • Low-interest financing for uninsured families.
  • Yearly savings plans that give a child two preventive visits, one emergency exam, a 15% discount on all dental services, and one free orthodontic exam with 15% off orthodontic services. These plans are available for $395 a year for children three and up. Please call our office for pricing for children under the age of three.

We are always happy to help patients understand how they can pay for orthodontic treatments. Feel free to contact us to learn more about how to get started.