Your child probably needs less than you fear
Most parents arrive braced for the worst: a huge quote, a long lecture and a child who will hate every minute. Most parents leave surprised on all three counts.
Here is an honest guide to braces for children and teenagers, from a specialist who will happily tell you if your child does not need them yet.
When should a child first see an orthodontist?
Around age seven. That is the guidance of the American Association of Orthodontists, and Dr Essop follows it for a simple reason: at seven, the adult teeth and the jaws are developing quickly enough that a trained eye can spot trouble while it is still cheap and simple to intercept.
At that first visit nothing dramatic happens. A panoramic x-ray confirms every adult tooth is present and developing in the right place, Dr Essop assesses how the jaws are growing, and in most cases the outcome is the best kind of appointment: reassurance, a baseline on file, and a plan to check again in six or twelve months.
The conversation about cost, had honestly
Dr Essop’s own words to anxious parents: for a mild case, “it is not a life and death issue.” A minor crowding problem left alone is not a catastrophe, and he will tell you when that is the situation rather than sell you urgency.
When treatment is needed, the practice charges the Discovery Health specialist tariff, publishes its fee ranges openly, claims what it can from your medical aid directly, and offers interest-free payment plans with 30% down and the balance over 12 to 20 months. Parents who arrive dreading the money conversation tend to describe what actually happens as a pleasant surprise.
Full fees, medical aid and payment plans
Metal, ceramic or aligners?
All three are available for teenagers here, and Dr Essop will give you the same straight answer he gives every family.
Metal braces
Still the best tool for most teens: the strongest, the most flexible and the lowest-friction option, which in plain language means treatment moves faster.
The supposed image problem largely no longer exists. Braces are so common at school that most teens actively want them, colours and all.
Recommended for most teensCeramic braces
More discreet to look at, and they work well. Treatment can run slower than with metal.
Discreet · slowerAligners for teenagers
They exist and they can work, but they stand or fall on being worn 22 hours a day, every day. Dr Essop is honest with parents about how often that fails, and about the extra cost.
22 hours a day, or not at allThe three worries every teenager has
Does it hurt?
There is discomfort, and pretending otherwise would break our honesty rule. It peaks in the first week, it is managed by starting with the lightest possible wires, it does not need a day off school, and a soft diet gets you through it. After each adjustment there may be a day or two of tenderness, then nothing.
What about food?
We do not hand out a fearsome list of banned foods. Early on you avoid the obvious bracket-breakers, hard, sticky, chewy things, and then something interesting happens: patients quietly work out their own way of eating almost everything. By the end of treatment most tell us they never really gave anything up.
What about sport?
Carry on. Custom mouthguards made to fit over braces are available through the practice, so contact sport continues safely through treatment.
Some cases finish faster, and when a case runs past two years there is only ever one reason: Dr Essop is not yet satisfied that the result is right. As he puts it to patients, we are not trying to keep you in braces, we are trying to give you a result worth the effort.
Afterwards comes a retainer, and the review visits that protect everything you have just invested in.
Straight answers
At what age should my child get braces?
Comprehensive braces usually start once most adult teeth are through, commonly between 11 and 14. The first orthodontic assessment should happen much earlier, around age seven, so that anything needing early interception is caught in time.
Do teenagers still get teased about braces?
Far less than parents remember. Braces are now so common in schools that most teens look forward to getting them, and the coloured bands have made them something closer to an accessory.
Can my child play rugby or hockey with braces?
Yes. Custom mouthguards designed to fit over braces are available through the practice, and sport continues as normal.
How long do teenage braces take?
Most cases take 18 to 24 months. Simpler cases finish sooner. If treatment runs longer it is because the specialist is not yet happy with the result, not because more visits are being added.
Find out where your child actually stands
A consultation with Dr Essop is R680, and the honest answer, whichever way it goes, is included.