Are Metal Braces the Cheapest Braces for Kids?
Braces are often the best opportunity for a child with bite issues, crooked teeth or crowded mouth to have a healthier, happier smile. Learning your child needs braces can be a surprise, but you don’t have to worry about the cost. Metal braces from Sky Dental Alliance are some of the cheapest braces for kids, and our financing plans make them more affordable than ever.
What Makes Metal Braces the Cheapest Braces for Kids?
Metal braces have a simple construction. They’re put in during one appointment and, unless something breaks, never have to be replaced. The same metal pieces are simply adjusted over a series of appointments. Only the colored elastics around the brackets are changed.
With invisible braces, a series of customized liners are used to coax your child’s teeth into place. A new liner has to be used about every two weeks. For just one year of adjustment, that’s a total of 26 liners! Invisible braces can still be surprisingly affordable with Sky Dental’s financing program. If your child has their heart set on invisible options, don’t rule them out until you’ve had your free consultation.
The Anatomy of Traditional Braces
Traditional, metal braces have four key pieces:
- Brackets: The small, metal squares that are bonded to the tooth with a semi-permanent dental cement. They serve as anchors for the archwires.
- Archwires: The thin wires that connect bracket to bracket. Adjustments to the archwires are what help realign teeth.
- Ligature elastics: The small colored ties that hold the archwires to the brackets. “Power chain” styles cross brackets to help close tooth gaps.
- Molar Bands: The metal bands that wrap all the way around the molars and are temporarily cemented in place. We use our molars for most of our chewing and need to make those rear anchor points extra secure.
How Do Traditional Braces Work?
When tightened, archwires exert constant pressure on the teeth. They “pull” and rotate the teeth slowly in the direction of the pressure. This reduces overcrowding, closes gaps, straighten the teeth and positively alters the shape of the bone.
Sometimes, a few extras are needed. For children with significant bite alignment concerns, interarch rubber bands may be used to connect the upper and lower jaw and coax them into a different alignment. The bands attach to special hooks put on the brackets. Your child can take them off to eat and will replace them daily to ensure a tight fit.
When there’s too much space between teeth, a coil spring can be used to draw them together. The spring is hooked from one bracket to a neighboring bracket on the same level. Coil springs are left on until an orthodontist removes them.
What’s Involved in Getting and Removing Metal Braces?
A little prep work is often needed before your child’s braces are put on. A brief stint with an expander and retainer may be used early to spread a cramped palette and make room for adjustments. Separators, rubber rings that ease teeth apart, work on targeted crowding and making space for molar bands.
Metal braces are surprisingly easy to have put on and taken off. A little, semi-permanent dental cement is all it takes to attach the anchoring components. The colored elastics do the rest. When it comes time to have the braces removed, your child’s orthodontist just pulls them off with pliers. It’s painless with no risk your child’s teeth. Any excess cement is carefully scraped off, and your child is given a retainer to wear while the bone settles into place.
What are the Advantages of Traditional Braces?
In addition to being the cheapest braces for kids, metal braces give orthodonists maximum control. They allow for tiny adjustments and more thorough adjustment of prominent alignment concerns. While more noticeable than Invisalign braces, there are no liners to lose. Newer options may allow for smaller brackets or tooth-colored materials to be used to reduce the visual impact of traditional braces.
Are Traditional Braces Faster Than Invisalign?
On average, traditional and invisible braces both take one to three years depending on the type and degree of concerns that need to be addressed. One type is not universally faster than the other. With both types, your child may need an early expander and will have to wear a retainer for one to three years after adjustments are complete.
You might expect even the cheapest braces for kids to give you sticker shock, but braces are more affordable than ever. At Sky Dental Alliance, we want every child to have a smile they’re happy to show off. Our braces start at just $99 a month with $0 down for families with dental insurance. Your child’s consultation, x-rays and estimate are free. To schedule an appointment, give us a call today.