Sponsored Post: Braces Have Come a Long Way Since I Was a Teen

Being a teenager is hard.

Or, at least I think it was. Yes, I know it’s been a while. Shut up.

Anyway…

I mean, it’s bad enough that your skin is weird, your hair is unpredictable and your body seems to change every day, but to add insult to injury, many teens have dental problems requiring braces.

Back in my day, braces were a pretty traumatic affair, and there weren’t too many choices: you either got them, or you didn’t.

If you had them, each tooth had a band that was cemented on and the bands were connected by wires. The braces were manipulated with tools commonly found at Home Depot, and pain relief was a wad of wax that came in a nifty plastic box. A broken wire could impale the inside of your mouth, and  I actually still have places I can feel in my mouth where my braces rubbed.

Things certainly are different now, but having them can still be a bit of a blow to a teen’s self-esteem. However, there are new methods available and kids today don’t have to go through quite what we did “back in the day”.  For example, there are traditional wires and brackets, clear or white ceramic braces, braces put on the back of the teeth, and more. Your or dentist or orthodontist will help you and your teen decide the best treatment method.

My son has Invisalign Teen, the clear, removable braces. They really do go unnoticed for the most part, and that’s one of the things he likes about them. He’s a sophomore in high school, so several of his peers are already done with orthodontic treatment, and he’s grateful not to stand out. But, he’s actually become somewhat of a celebrity when people do realize he has them because they want to know all about them.

While his clear braces certainly doesn’t take away all the stresses of being a teenager, they do fit his lifestyle well, and help him to be more confident in how he looks, and they’re right for him.

Though braces are an investment in a child’s health and appearance, correcting problems such as crooked or overlapping teeth, incorrect bite and more, they can sometimes (but not always!) affect a teen’s self-esteem. It’s up to us to help our teens realize that they’re not alone and lots of people have braces and that braces don’t have to affect how they feel about themselves.

About the Writer:

Busy Mom is nurse by day and a blogger by night, and is the author of Busy Mom Blog (http://busymom.net) where she’s been writing about whatever comes to mind since 2003.

When she’s not on the quest for the perfect purse, you can often find her pleading with a disinterested pile of laundry to fold itself.

Disclosure:

Busy Mom is a member of the Invisalign Teen Mom Advisory Board. Her son has received complimentary treatment from Invisalign, but all opinions expressed here are her own. For more information about Invisalign, please visit www.Invisalign.com or Facebook.com/Invisalign