How Long Will I Be In Braces?

Long Beach, CA – When an orthodontic patient is getting braces on, the most commonly asked question is how long the braces will need to be worn. While we can’t give exact times, we can give our patients an approximation of how long their treatment will take. The average length of treatment is between 18 and 24 months, but some patients may have their braces on for a longer or shorter period of time.

There are many factors that determine how long treatment will take.

The first is the type and severity of malocclusion that needs to be corrected. Some malocclusions, like crossbites or underbites, are more difficult to correct and can lead to a longer treatment time. Likewise, the severity of the issue will play into how long you’ll need your braces, as patients with severe crowding will require a longer treatment time than someone with mild teeth crowding.

The age you are when you receive treatment will also play a factor in how long you’ll be in treatment. We recommend children visit an orthodontist for the first time at the age of seven – this is important, because it gives us the opportunity to observe the child’s mouth, determine if there are issues of concern, and then begin treatment at precisely the right time to have the most impact. We can guide the growth of the jaw, encourage proper eruption of permanent teeth, and many other things early on that will reduce the severity of the malocclusion. In doing so, our aim is not to preclude orthodontic treatment in the future, but by reducing the severity, your child won’t have to be in braces for as long later on and we can oftentimes reduce the need to extract teeth or perform jaw surgeries.

Older adolescents and adults may see their treatment times are longer than younger patients, because the treatment is often more involved, the bone is denser and growth is usually complete. While you’re never too old to have healthy teeth moved, once the jaw stops growing, it does make orthodontic treatment a bit more difficult in cases where skeletal overbites, underbites and crossbites require correction.

Another factor that determines the length of your treatment time is you. Some patients are lucky and have mouths that respond extremely well to treatment. Others have teeth that are a bit more stubborn. But even beyond that, you play a big role in your treatment. In order to ensure your teeth stay on track, you have to follow all of the instructions given to you by your orthodontist. That means properly caring for your teeth and gums, and watching your diet, as oral health issues and broken brackets can delay treatment. But that also means wearing your rubber bands or Invisalign aligners as directed.

Rubber bands can seem like a nuisance, but they play a crucial role in giving you that perfect smile and bite. Braces can straighten your teeth, but they cannot improve the bite on their own. Rubber bands can help to guide the jaws to their ideal positions to create a properly functioning bite.

For patients who choose Invisalign treatment, it is important that the aligners are worn a minimum of 22 hours a day. Because they are removable, it is tempting to take them out for a big event, but the aligners can only work to move your teeth when they are worn. The aligners should only be removed to eat, drink, brush and floss. Part-time wear of the aligners will inevitably lengthen treatment time, as the teeth will take longer to move into correct alignment.

It is also important to note that you should never compare your treatment time to someone else’s. You’ve heard the phrase “no two snowflakes are alike,” and the same can be said for smiles. Everyone’s smiles are unique, and straightening them requires individualized treatment. Even though you and your best friend may both have overbites, that doesn’t mean your treatment will take the same amount of time.

When it comes to orthodontic treatment, the most important things to remember are that you need to work in conjunction with your orthodontic team, and you must have patience. We promise that you won’t be in treatment forever, and if you follow the advice of your orthodontist, your treatment will be over before you know it!