Braces make your smile beautiful (Part 1)
Some kids can’t wait to get braces. Others are a little worried about what it will be like or how they will look. It can help to learn more about braces, which straighten your teeth and make your smile even better looking.
Tooth Talk
Lots of kids don’t have perfect teeth, so don’t worry if yours aren’t straight. Take a look at most of your classmates. Many of them probably don’t have straight teeth either. Sometimes teeth just don’t grow in evenly.
Your teeth might be crooked, or your upper and lower jaws might not be the same size. If you’re upper jaw is bigger than your lower jaw, that’s called an overbite. If your lower jaw is bigger than your upper jaw, you have an underbite.
Either way it’s called malocclusion (say: mal-uh-kloo-zhun), a word that comes from Latin and means "bad bite." Malocclusion is just a word that dentists use to describe the shape of your mouth.
Your dentist might notice one of these problems during a regular visit and recommend that you see an orthodontist (say: or-thoh-dahn-tist). This person may also be called a braces specialist. He or she can determine whether you need braces.
Types of Braces
If your parents had braces, you may have seen pictures of them with their mouths full of metal. Today, braces are much less noticeable. Metal braces are still used, but you might be able to get clear braces or braces that are the same color as your teeth. There are even braces that go behind your teeth where no one can see them.
The wires that are used in braces today are also smaller and better than they used to be, and they’re made of a space-age material that straightens your teeth faster and easier.
Source: kidshealth.org
Other links:
What Sleep Is and Why All Kids Need It (Part 1)
What Sleep Is and Why All Kids Need It (Part 2)
Feeling Too Tall or Too Short (Part 1)
Feeling Too Tall or Too Short (Part 2)
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