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We’d all love to be naturally endowed with a big, broad straight smile, with the perfect shaped teeth lined up all in a row, ready to greet the world and make light work of all our meals.

Sadly, that privilege is granted to only a few of us in the modern western world. Our jaws are often smaller because our modern food doesn’t need so much chewing. Meanwhile, teeth remain the same size and that’s why they often come through crooked and crowded.

The good news is that getting wonky teeth straightened out has never been easier. Braces in Kings Hill have moved on so much in the past couple of decades; they are smaller, gentler and often much more discreet.

Here at One Smile Oral Care, we offer braces for both children and adults. Some are made of metal, some of ceramic and some are made of a kind of thin plastic that’s pretty much invisible when you put them on over your teeth.

How braces move teeth

It’s all about the pressure. Gentle pressure from archwires through brackets pull the teeth as the wires, which have been bent, try to return to their original shape. With aligners, the pressure is exerted by pressure points gently pressing on the teeth.

When gentle pressure is exerted on the teeth, the jawbone around the tooth roots reacts to relieve it. The bone is dissolved and resorbed into the bloodstream on the pressure side of the tooth. At the same time, new bone is put in place on the tension side of the tooth. Thus, the tooth gradually shifts position without coming loose in its socket.

Anyone of any age can have their teeth straightened with braces in Kings Hill, but straightening tends to progress more quickly in younger people.

Which braces in Kings Hill are right for you?

Generally speaking, we fit metal braces for kids because they are more robust. Adults prefer ceramic braces because they are more discreet. Ceramic is more fragile than metal. Adults also really love clear aligners, but these are not suitable for some alignment issues.

Come on in for a consultation and we can find out more about what braces would work best for you.

When your child is young, their bones are still very malleable. You will know all about this if you ever broke a bone as a kid and it snapped more like a green twig than an old stick. Young bones can be pushed out of shape, or into shape, and when it comes to the jawbone, this can be a very useful thing.

It’s not uncommon for young children to develop jawbones that aren’t quite the right shape to hold all their teeth in a straight arch. Sometimes this mis-shaping is just how the jawbone has grown. Sometimes, it’s due to the fact that the child is doing something, like sucking a thumb, that is contributing to the problem.

The good news is that with the right braces in Kings Hill, at One Smile Oral Care, we can treat your child and make sure that they grow up to have a beautiful broad smile on a well-shaped jawbone.

Early check-ups

Modern dentistry is all about treating children with braces in Kings Hill while they are still young. This is a positive for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it means that we can solve any jawbone problems while the bone is still easily remodelled. Secondly, it means that we can guide emerging teeth into position, rather than having to reposition them once they have already come through.

If you have concerns about the position of your child’s teeth, or the shape of their jawbone, it’s a good idea to bring them along to us for a consultation from around the age of 5 years. If there is a problem related to an unhelpful habit, we can refer them to someone who can help them stop the habit before going on to treat the resulting dental problem.

We can fit your child with braces in Kings Hill and get their treatment done and dusted before they hit those dreadful teenage years when the last thing any kid wants to do is draw attention to themselves.

If you’d like to find out more about children’s braces in Kings Hill, why not book your child in for a consultation with Dr Yasmin George?

Braces can be used to treat many dental problems including bite issues such as overbites and underbites. Young children are more susceptible to teeth straightening changes and bite adjustments with the help of braces, because their jawbones are not yet fully formed. However, are braces really necessary given that they can sometimes be a lengthy procedure?

At One Smile Oral Care, we believe in early teeth-straightening intervention with braces in Kings Hill. If you suspect that your children’s teeth are not developing properly, it’s time to discuss braces in Kings Hill with the help of our experienced dentists.

Signs that your child may need braces

Keeping your eyes open for possible dental or bite problems is highly recommended. If your child’s teeth are visibly misaligned, then chances are that they will need to have them straightened with braces in Kings Hill. However, things are not always very straight forward.

Some dental problems that cause misalignment or bite problems are not as obvious and only an experienced dentist can diagnose them. That’s why we recommend having an assessment for braces around the age of 8 years. At this age, your dentist can tell if your child’s teeth are growing according to plan and if there’s enough space for them. In any case, a dental assessment by this age whether your child has visible misalignment problems or not, will not do any harm.

Choosing the right treatment

Our experienced dentists at One Smile Oral Care have training in teeth-straightening technology and will use the latest techniques and materials to ensure that your children’s teeth are straightened effectively. Just because a child needs to wear braces for 2 years, it doesn’t mean that another child will need to undergo the same treatment. The length of treatment is determined by many parameters and is different for each patient.

How important are straight teeth really?

Straight teeth are very important for the proper development of your child. Not only do they look good, but they also help improve your child’s oral function. Straight teeth can also boost your child’s self-esteem and introduce them to great oral care habits.

It’s not commonly known, but teeth can move around in the jaw throughout our lives. As children we couldn’t help but wobble our baby tooth with our tongue before it fell out, but as adults, if a tooth is on the move it’s usually considered a bad sign.

And while a loose tooth isn’t usually good news, the surprising truth is that adult teeth can and do move. In fact, this is the very basis of teeth straightening treatment.

Traditional braces in Kings Hill are made from brackets and wires, and are generally much smaller than they used to be. The archwire is a clever device that has ‘metal memory’. This means that once in place on the teeth, it tries to return to its original shape. It is fed through the brackets that have been bonded to each individual tooth and as the archwire seeks to revert to its original shape, the brackets, and therefore the teeth, are gently pulled along with it. This process slowly realigns the teeth into their new and improved positions.

Many modern braces in Kings Hill work in this way; whether the brackets and wires are clear, hidden or in other ways discreet, this method holds for fixed braces.

There is another type of teeth straightening treatment that uses an entirely different method, and that’s Invisalign removable aligners. These aligners look like clear, plastic mouth guards and once in place are almost entirely transparent. So, no wires or brackets to pull the teeth along; instead, pressure points on the inside of the aligners move the teeth into place. This is why when you first put your new pair of aligners on, you may feel some pressure. This is simply just the teeth being subtly moved into place.

Removable aligners are custom-made for each patient to fit the unique profile of their teeth and to achieve the desired end point of the treatment.

Here at One Smile Oral Care, whichever treatment you choose, we use braces in Kings Hill to help our patients achieve a smile they can feel proud of. Call in today to find out which treatment is the best fit for you.

Remember having braces in Kings Hill when you were a nipper? You had to wait until all your teeth had just come through so that the dentist could see how out of line they were. Then you had to go through the double whammy of wearing clunky braces that made your teeth ache and your cheeks sore, whilst also dealing with the onset of puberty, the horror of spots and greasy hair and your voice breaking. Puberty was bad enough without those awful things on your teeth. At times, you may have thought you’d never be right again.

Of course, you got through the braces and the puberty, but we bet you wouldn’t wish that torture on any kid, especially in 2019 when social media is everywhere and utterly unforgiving.

Well, at One Smile Oral Care, we can’t do much about your children’s skin or their squeaky voices, but we can do something to take the sting out of braces in Kings Hill. We can treat them before they even hit puberty.

Yes, times have moved on and we now have the technology and understanding to be able to look inside the jaw at how the adult teeth are lining up and make accurate predictions as to how they will come through.

You can bring your child along to us for a braces consultation at as young as 5 years old and Dr Yasmin George will take an in-depth look at both their teeth and their jaws. It may be that just the teeth need help to align, but it could also be that the jaws need help too. While teeth can be realigned no matter how old you are, the jaws are only malleable until about the age of 18, when the bone sets hard.

The modern diet does not contain enough chewy food, so it is becoming increasingly common for the jaws to not be large enough to contain all the teeth. If you bring your child along when they are young enough, we can give them treatments to make the jaws large enough to accommodate all their teeth.

When is the right time to bring your child in for an assessment for braces in Kings Hill? It’s earlier than you may think. Due to advances in dental technology and techniques, our braces dentist here at One Smile Oral Care, Dr Yasmin George, is able to detect potential dental problems in children as young as five. The AAO (American Association of Orthodontists) recommends children have an orthodontic evaluation around the age of 7.

By utilising advanced scanning techniques, we can see how the adult teeth are descending before they’ve got here. This means that in some cases, Dr George can guide the adult teeth into position as they come in, rather than adjusting them once they are here

It may seem a little scary for your youngster to be assessed for braces in Kings Hill so young, and even more so to wear them, but there are advantages to early treatment. One is that they get used to the dental environment and hopefully understand that it’s not a scary place. If children have a positive experience at the dentist, they are much less likely to have dental phobia as adults.

Another is that early intervention means the treatment they have can be less complex and time-consuming than if you waited until they were older. It also means that teeth straightening work can be complete during childhood, meaning that they can go into the self-conscious adolescent phase with a beautifully straight smile and without the need to wear conspicuous braces. They will definitely thank you for this one.

Straighter teeth are also easier to keep clean and have fewer nooks and crannies for bacteria to build up in. Young children can find it a challenge to get the hang of tooth brushing. If their teeth are crooked, crowded or twisted, this is only going to make the job more difficult. With a straighter smile, they are more likely to be able to maintain their teeth, cutting down or out altogether the need for filings and other restorative work.

So, by bringing your child in for an assessment for braces in Kings Hill at a young age, you are setting them up for a lifetime of happy smiles.

Many of us associate braces in Kings Hill with teenagers. We remember kids at our school who had metal ‘train tracks’ on their teeth during adolescence, or perhaps we ourselves were the butt of ‘brace face’ taunts.

Fortunately for today’s youngsters, braces technology and techniques have advanced to the extent that teeth straightening work can be carried out at a younger age, meaning it could all be over before puberty hits.

Here at One Smile Oral Care, we encourage parents to bring their little ones in for a braces assessment from as young as 5. We can determine whether or not a child will need to wear braces as their adult teeth descend. In some cases, it’s possible to guide the burgeoning teeth into position as they grow, avoiding the need for corrective work further down the line.

Why find out if your child needs braces in Kings Hill? First of all, as a UK resident, you might as well. Braces are free for children on the NHS, as long as the work is necessary for physical health and not just aesthetics.

Also, your kids will thank you for having teeth that are easier to clean. It’s easier to get brush and floss into properly aligned teeth than it is to work into the irregular gaps of crooked and twisted ones. Children can find it difficult to take on the habit of brushing their teeth, so anything that makes it easier can only be a bonus.

And the easier teeth are to clean, the less likely it is that decay and gum disease will set in. This gives your child a chance of keeping their teeth for life and reduces the risk of them needing restorations as they age.

And, even if teeth and jaws are realigned for health reasons, they are also going to look better. Your 5 year-old might not care about this, but you can guarantee that once they hit teenage years, having a beautiful straight set of gnashers they can show of in selfies is going to be a big hit with them.

By bringing your child in for braces in Kings Hill, you are setting them up for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles.

While some children can’t wait to have their braces fitted, others worry that they won’t feel or look good. At One Smile Oral Care, we advise parents to bring their children to the dentist early on, since structural tooth problems can develop into more serious conditions as they age. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

As parents, it’s natural to have concerns of your own about braces in Kings Hill and how your children will adapt to them. To learn more, book a consultation appointment and don’t be shy with your questions. Here’s a basic introduction to children and braces in Kings Hill.

Why do children need braces?

Children may need braces for a number of reasons – whether genetic or other. If you suspect that your children have crooked, overcrowded, overlapping or gapped teeth, then it’s time to pay a visit to the dentist. A lot of children may also need braces to fix jaw problems. For instance, when the upper jaw is bigger than the lower jaw, problems with chewing and speaking can occur.

Tooth and jaw problems are caused by baby bottle tooth decay, accidents or bad habits such as thumb sucking. However, some children may be genetically predisposed to certain alignment and bite problems. Whatever the problem, chances are that braces can help fix it. The earlier your child starts a teeth straightening treatment with braces in Kings Hill, the better, since their teeth are constantly developing and it’s easier to manoeuvre their jaw into its correct position.

Their first visit to the dentist for braces

During a teeth alignment consultation, the dentist will examine your child’s teeth, mouth and jaw thoroughly to determine whether there is a problem. The dentist may take x-rays to see the extent of the problem, or may even take impressions of your children’s teeth. These examinations will help them determine what’s the best course of treatment for their misaligned teeth and/or dispositioned bites. Metal braces can correct so many types of problem and they are usually the best option for young children and teenagers. How long your child will need to wear them depends on their individual problem and your dentist’s recommendation.

Having straight teeth not only looks great but it makes it easier for people to keep them clean. Being able to easily clean the plaque off teeth makes them far less prone to tooth decay and gum disease and therefore they tend to last longer. These days, dentistry is all about helping you find ways to keep your natural teeth for life, and one way to do that is to make them easy to keep clean. So, if you’d like to give the gift of teeth for life to your child, you need to make sure they have straight teeth.

Unfortunately, wearing braces in Kings Hill has tended to coincide with the onset of puberty, which is well known as the time when kids tend to suffer from the most excruciating self-consciousness. Having to suffer the taunts that teens can throw at each other can be a nightmare for many kids, especially in these times of cyber-bullying on social media. Wouldn’t it be great if your child could get their braces treatment out of the way before all that teen stuff sets in? Well, they can, if you bring them along to One Smile Oral Care.

Here at One Smile Oral Care, our braces dentist is Yasmin George. She is a great believer in assessing children for braces in Kings Hill early. Early treatment can help the face develop properly. If teeth are crowded, having them straightened out can mean that your child develops a broad jaw, which is what is wanted.

Yasmin George can assess children for braces in Kings Hill from as early as 5 years old, thanks to advances in dental technology which mean that we can now look inside the jawbone to see how the adult teeth are lining up behind the baby teeth. Bring your child along for an assessment before they are 7 years old, and we can make sure they get the treatment they need to get a properly developed face and jaw. Changing the shape of the jaw can only happen when your child is under the age of 18, before the bone sets hard. The earlier this treatment is carried out, the more plastic and malleable the jawbone is.

If you are a parent, you will be very keen to make sure that your children have the best breaks when it comes to getting good teeth for life. That means making sure they learn how to brush well and bringing them to us at One Smile Oral Care from an early age so that six-monthly check-ups become a lifelong habit.

We can also help protect your children’s teeth against decay with treatments to harden their enamel and also to create a barrier on the back teeth, which are the ones mostly likely to get dental decay.

So that’s decay taken care of, but what about alignment? Having teeth and jaws that line up well against each other is essential for several reasons. Let’s explain the benefits of braces in Kings Hill by looking at what happens to people who need braces but don’t have them, ie. looking at the negatives.

What happens when you don’t get the braces you need:

More decay and gum disease

Decay and gum disease are both caused by the acids that bacterial plaque gives off. The bacteria love to hide out and proliferate in the nooks and crannies in the mouth, so if you have wonky teeth, they will be building up in all the places it’s hard to reach with your toothbrush. Thus, having wonky teeth increases the chances of early tooth loss from decay and gum disease.

Crumbling away

When only a few teeth are taking all the strain from eating instead of the powerful forces created by chewing being spread out evenly around each arch, those teeth will probably start to split and crumble after a few decades. The world of replacement teeth is a series of choices between expense and efficiency.

Pain

If your teeth or jaws don’t fit together properly it can lead to a lot of unnecessary pain. People find their teeth ache from grinding at night, their jaw joints start to play up, they get headaches, neck aches, shoulder and back aches. Living in pain is debilitating.

The way to avoid all this is to bring your child in for a consultation for braces in Kings Hill when they are aged 7 years and upwards.