Are you going to be having braces put on your crooked teeth sometime soon to straighten them out? If so, you’re likely going to have a series of questions the next time you visit the orthodontist in Round Rock, TX that’ll be putting braces into place for you.
For example, you might want to ask, “Are braces going to hurt?” You might also want to ask, “What will I need to do to take care of my braces?”
But as it turns out, “How long do you have to wear braces?” is usually one of the most common questions people have of all. You might be wondering this yourself since you’re going to eagerly anticipate being able to get your braces taken off.
Generally speaking, the standard treatment time for braces will fall between 1 and 3 years. But there are many factors that can affect the amount of time you’ll need to keep braces on. Learn about these factors below.
Age
According to recent reports, about 4 million Americans wear braces on their teeth each year. About 1 million of them are adults.
If you’re an adult who is interested in getting braces, you’re more than welcome to do it. You’re never too old to visit the orthodontist to get new braces so that you can achieve straighter teeth.
But you should know that, the older you are, the longer it might take to straighten your teeth. Your teeth will be, for lack of a better phrase, set in their ways when you’re an adult and it can make straightening them a challenge. You might have to keep braces on for several years to see results.
Teenagers, on the other hand, have bodies that are still growing and developing all the time. As a result, it’s easier for an orthodontist to get their teeth to move around.
For this reason, you might not want to put off getting braces for a teenager if you’re the parent of one. They can benefit from getting braces right now in a big way.
Condition
Some people want to get braces to correct one or two crooked teeth. Others have a mouth full of crooked teeth that are all going in different directions.
If you fall into the first category of people, the condition of your teeth should make it simple for an orthodontist to straighten them out. You should only have to spend a year or so with braces on your teeth to see a real difference.
But if you fall into the second category, it might be a much different story. You may have to spend several years allowing an orthodontist to tinker with your teeth before they’re all as straight as you would like.
An orthodontist will typically be able to tell you what kind of condition your teeth are in from the start. It’ll help provide you with a pretty accurate answer to the question, “How long do you have to wear braces?”
Compliance
If you have metal braces put on your teeth to straighten them, compliance isn’t really going to be an issue. These types of braces will stay put for the long haul until it’s time for your orthodontist to take them off.
But if you go with another orthodontic treatment method like Invisalign, compliance will be a much larger issue. It’ll be up to you to make sure you’re wearing Invisalign trays on your teeth for at least 22 hours each day. Otherwise, it could lead to you having to wear these trays for longer than you should have to.
The only time compliance will come into play for those wearing metal braces is when it’s time to schedule check-ups for your teeth. You’ll need to get into the habit of making appointments regularly so that your orthodontist can adjust your braces accordingly.
Oral Hygiene
From the second you have metal braces put on your teeth, you’re going to need to make it your mission to practice good oral hygiene. This can be challenging when you have braces, but you might run into all kinds of dental issues if you don’t make brushing and flossing a top priority.
It isn’t going to be uncommon for food particles to get stuck in your braces. If you don’t do anything to remove them, you might put your teeth, your gums, and your oral health as a whole at risk.
You might also discover that you will need to wear braces on your teeth for a longer stretch of time. It’s why you should pay close attention when your orthodontist is showing you how to care for your teeth when you have braces.
Orthodontist
There are almost 90,000 orthodontists in the U.S. as of early 2023. Each of them will take a slightly different approach to how they treat their patients.
Because of this, you might find that one orthodontist will tell you that you need to wear braces for a certain length of time while another orthodontist will give you a completely different time frame.
It might be worth getting a few different opinions to see how long you’ll be expected to wear braces when you go to different orthodontists.
So, How Long Do You Have to Wear Braces? Ask Us Now
Are you interested in getting braces put on your teeth? If you are, we would love to welcome you to come out to one of our offices for an evaluation.
We can answer any and all questions you might have about getting braces, including “How long do you have to wear braces?” It’ll show you why you should trust us for all your orthodontic needs.
Meet our team and contact us today to schedule an evaluation for braces.
