My daughter and I are working with 3M this year as we track the process with Clarity™ ADVANCED Ceramic Braces. I’ve been amazed at how quickly her teeth have realigned! You can find out more about these particular ceramic braces on the first post here, tips for helping kids adjust to braces here, plus brushing tips here.
Below is a quick update on the progress at the 5 month and 8 month mark.
5 Months
You can see in the first image, where the tooth is stuck behind; the position of the tooth was causing issues (and potential long term damage) while chewing. Take a look at the 5 month mark in the second image! Amazing! My orthodontist said the technology in the flexible wire makes it effective while still being gentle.
8 Months
At the 8 month mark, the orthodontist changed to a slightly thicker wire to adjust the gum line where the front teeth sit. Even with the thicker wire, you can see it still blends in with the teeth well, if you’re looking for the aesthetic look.
In fact, in many pictures, you can hardly tell she’s wearing braces at all.
We are still on track to have them removed at about the year mark at this point.
This is a review post. You can read my review policy here
5 Comments
Kate Lloyd
November 8, 2016 at 12:43 pmMy niece has just had braces put on and your brushing tips have been really helpful.
Kelly - Be A Fun Mum
November 10, 2016 at 11:06 amI’m so glad! It can take a bit of getting used to!
Jodie
January 30, 2017 at 8:20 amHow old was your daughter when the braces were put on? My son has exactly the same issue – a tooth behind in the wrong place – and we are getting mixed messages from the dentist and orthodontist. He is 10 1/2 at the moment. thanks
Kelly - Be A Fun Mum
January 30, 2017 at 9:34 amHi Jodie,
I originally took my daughter to the ortho when she was…I think she was 8-9. They said I had two options:
1. Do a corrective braces now (i.e. when she was 9) to minimise possible damage because of how the tooth was sitting. And then probably have to re-do it all again when she was about 12.
2. Just wait until she was 12-13 and get it all done once, however there was a slight risk of tooth damage because of the bite where the tooth was.
After thinking about it, we decided to just wait (option 2) and she got her braces on when she was 12 (she is now 13). Her teeth weren’t damaged and it’s all worked out well. She only has a few months to go now so the process has been quick! Hope that helps. It can be hard to know exactly what to do, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut as a parent.
Jodie
January 30, 2017 at 10:44 amHi Kelly, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Our experience and advice we have received has been very similar to yours. We have left it until now as we thought it would be better to do it all in one go when he was a bit older.
Off to the dentist later today to see if the rogue tooth has had any damage…fingers crossed! Thanks again Jodie