My daughter got braces around 10, and honestly, the process wasn't as rough as I expected. Yeah, there was some soreness after adjustments—soft foods and smoothies became our best friends for a couple days—but kids adapt surprisingly fast. Maintenance-wise, we found a water flosser was a lifesaver for tricky spots. Definitely made flossing less of a battle. I'd say if the crookedness is causing flossing issues already, it might be worth looking into sooner rather than later... just my two cents!
"Maintenance-wise, we found a water flosser was a lifesaver for tricky spots."
Can confirm—water flossers are legit game-changers. I was skeptical at first (thought it was just another gimmicky gadget), but now I'm hooked. As for braces, I got them as an adult, and honestly, kids handle it way better than we do. My niece barely complained, meanwhile I was whining like a baby after every adjustment... go figure. But yeah, earlier is usually better if flossing's already a hassle.
Totally relate to the adult braces struggle—felt like every adjustment was a mini torture session, lol. Did you find wax helped at all with the discomfort? Water flossers really do save the day, especially when regular flossing feels impossible... wish I'd discovered mine sooner.
"Did you find wax helped at all with the discomfort?"
Honestly, wax was a lifesaver for my kid when she first got braces. She had sores forming from brackets rubbing against her cheeks, and applying wax regularly made a huge difference. The trick is to dry the bracket area first before pressing the wax firmly into place—it stays put way better that way. Agree about water flossers too...they're just easier, especially for younger ones who struggle with regular flossing. Wish we'd started using ours earlier as well.
Wax definitely helped my daughter too, especially in those first couple weeks when her mouth was still adjusting. I remember one night she woke up crying because the brackets were irritating her cheeks so badly—we were both exhausted and frustrated. I ended up sitting with her at 2 AM, carefully drying each bracket and pressing wax into place. Felt like a mini arts-and-crafts project at that hour, lol. But it worked wonders, and she slept peacefully after that.
We also found that keeping wax handy everywhere—backpacks, car glovebox, bathroom drawer—made things much smoother. Kids tend to forget stuff, and having it easily accessible stopped minor discomfort from turning into major drama. Totally agree about water flossers too; ours has been a game changer. Wish I'd known about them sooner...could've saved us both some stress during the early days of braces. Hang in there—it gets easier pretty quickly, promise.
