Metal braces are honestly still the gold standard for a reason, especially for kids who might not keep track of aligners or who have trickier bite issues. I totally get the worry about looks, but in my experience, most kids adjust pretty fast—especially if their friends are in the same boat. Ceramics can look nice but yeah, staining is real if your kid loves tomato sauce or curry. Clear aligners are great for motivated teens, but they really do need to be on top of wearing them and not losing them (which is a big ask for some!). The soreness after adjustments is pretty universal, no matter what you pick. It’s a process, but it sounds like you’re already thinking it through carefully.
- Agree on metal braces being reliable—my daughter lost her aligners twice in a month, so we switched back.
- Ceramics looked nice for my nephew, but yeah, stains happened fast (he loves spaghetti).
- Aligners only worked for my older kid who’s super organized; younger one just couldn’t keep track.
- Adjustment pain was about the same for all three options.
- Honestly, friends having braces too helped both my kids feel less self-conscious.
Aligners only worked for my older kid who’s super organized; younger one just couldn’t keep track.
You nailed it—organization makes such a difference with aligners. My youngest lost one in the cafeteria trash, so we stuck with metal too. Glad your kids had friends with braces; that peer support really does help.
That cafeteria trash story hits home—my nephew did the exact same thing with his aligners and we never found them. I agree, peer support makes a huge difference with kids sticking to metal braces. Did you notice if your kids ever complained about pain or mouth sores with the metal ones? My daughter had some trouble the first week but got used to it pretty quickly. Just curious how it went for others.
Yeah, my son definitely had a rough first week with the metal ones—lots of complaining about sore cheeks and using wax nonstop. After that, he barely mentioned it unless he got poked by a wire. Honestly, I was worried about the cost of switching to ceramic or clear aligners, but he adjusted pretty quickly. Did you find the metal braces were more affordable for you too, or did your ortho charge about the same for all types?
