Why braces are a great investment for your kid’s future.
I am the proud parent of two beautiful daughters and the co-owner of a successful orthodontic practice in Miami Lakes, Florida. This has brought me an amazing opportunity to interact with thousands of families in my community and gain insight into family relationships and parenting from many different points of view. Throughout the years of helping families in my office, I have found that there are a vast number of family dynamics and parenting styles. I have parents that are very hands-on with their children and tend to be there with them at every step of treatment and there are also parents that like to give their kids space and let them go through the process more on their own. I do not believe that there is a single correct way to raise your child, but I have noticed that regardless of the parenting style there are certain universal truths in parenting. We all want the best opportunities for our kids and we all want to see our kids succeed.
Whether it be in school, an activity or just life in general. Parents often echo the same sentiment which is, “I just want my kid to be happy, successful and become the very best version of themselves.” As parents, we find several ways to invest in our kids future wellbeing: education, health, fitness, diet, pre-paid college, etc. Although I too invest in all of these areas for my two daughters future I have found that investing in your child’s smile is often overlooked by parents and just as important in giving them the opportunity to succeed.
Your child being confident in their smile and appearance is one of the most empowering things that you can give your child. The smile has been studied for years and it has been directly correlated to self-confidence, self-worth, happiness and a variety of other psychological, social, and health-related impacts. Making sure that your child has a healthy and beautiful smile is paramount in providing the best opportunity for success for your child. An orthodontist needs to be a part of your parenting plan as they are the specialist that is best suited to help educate you and your child about their smile and make sure that your child is smiling with confidence. Here are a few points on the impact that your child’s smile has on them and their life.
Impact of your child’s smile on their life:
- Psychological: your child’s ability to smile with confidence can have huge psychological impacts on the child as it can directly affect their self-confidence and willingness to show their teeth/smile. Imagine having a smile that you are ashamed to show in public or not wanting to smile for pictures. When we are happy, we smile. We should all feel confident to smile and not be ashamed by our appearance.
- Social: Children are going through so many physical changes throughout childhood and are constantly seeing other children in school, clubs, events, etc. This is the time where children are developing social confidence in interacting with others their age and figuring out the general way of the world. If a child cannot be confident in their smile this can often lead to lack of social interaction due to embarrassment or even worse, it can lead to teasing or bullying. Based on scientific research the #1 physical attribute that bullies target are abnormal teeth.
- Health: Having misaligned teeth or bite issues can lead to several health issues. If teeth are blocked by other misaligned teeth they can often create hygiene issues which can lead to cavities and a variety of other health issues. In addition, children with large gaps or “bucked teeth” (often found in thumb sucking children) can often cause speech issues in children as the tongue cannot make contact with the teeth and properly pronounce words. This can often lead to children falling behind in communication and teasing/bullying.
In short, we all want to do what is best for our children and ensure that they are happy and healthy. Make sure that part of your parenting plan includes taking your child to see an orthodontist by the age of 7 in order to get them checked out by a specialist and ensure that you are giving them the best opportunity to be successful.
