There is an old saying that goes something like this: People will do little to prevent disease (or uncomfort) but they will do everything to cure it. Although I believe it, if I could go back to my childhood I would have certainly listened my orthodontist earlier in life and prevented years of braces and orthodontic treatments.
When I was a child I visited my dentist for check-ups and cleanings regularly, and early on he noticed that my teeth were beginning to crowd and recommended to my parents that I should do something about it. I refused. I did not want to braces. Even though I had no good excuse, I still resisted. My poor dentist had to put up with me, and he knew he would be seeing a lot more of me in years to come.
As time went by, I eventually had braces put on. Rather than wearing braces in elementary school when no one would notice or care, I would be wearing them throughout middle school and part of high school when I noticed and cared. The duration of my orthodontic treatments and braces would have only lasted a couple of years, but because I waited, I had to wear them much longer than originally planned.
Having braces and orthodontic treatments at an older age came with many discomforts. As I became more involved in sports at a competitive level, the competition became more physical. Getting bumped and hit in the mouth with basketballs and elbows was twice as painful with braces on, which is mostly my fault for not wearing my mouth guard. And getting food stuck in my teeth during lunch in high school was embarrassing and hard to deal with.
Avoid the pains of wearing braces later in life when your permanent teeth come in and your mouth has matured. Stop by Lansdowne Orthodontics for an early orthodontic evaluation for your child. They will thank you in the future!