Orthodontic Treatment for Children Nottingham

Dependent on the treatment objectives, some treatments can take 1-2 years. Some limited objective treatment plans can be completed in 6-9 months.

Yes, once your brace has settled in you will be able to enjoy food like you used to. Be mindful of hard and crunchy foods as these could damage the brace and the wires. The consumption of sugary food and drinks should be kept to a minimum or avoided totally to avoid tooth decay.

At the start of each treatment, we provide full verbal and written toothbrushing advice with a demonstration by the clinician or nurse. As a rule of thumb, we suggest you brush after every meal, 3 times a day, and avoid snacking on sugary food, to reduce the chance of getting decay or demineralisation (early tooth weakening) during your treatment.

Yes! The colour relates to the elastic bands that are used to tie the wire into the brace. You can still have coloured elastics whether you are having metal or ceramic braces.

No, the brace is bonded to your teeth and works constantly until the end of your treatment when our consultant orthodontist will debond it for you.

Most appointments are around 30 minutes long, with bonding the brace and debonding the brace taking anything from 45 minutes to an hour. Generally, we advise patients that due to travelling to the practice and back, you should consider taking half a day off school for each appointment. We usually stage appointments every 6-8 weeks to allow our appliances to work fully, before the next adjustment.

The ceramic brackets of your braces will never stain, as they're resistant to discolouration. However, the clear elastic bands that we use to attach the wire to your brackets can stain. Certain foods and drinks, such as coffee, tea, and red wine, can cause the bands to become discoloured and more visible. Some ingredients like turmeric and tomato-based sauces can also leave stains on the bands.

Fortunately, the bands are changed during every adjustment appointment. This means that any stains or discolouration will be removed, and your braces will look as good as new.

If you're concerned about staining, we recommend avoiding certain foods and drinks during your treatment. You can also take extra care to brush and floss regularly to keep your teeth and braces clean and healthy.

At The Campbell Clinic, we typically do not use ceramic brackets on lower teeth. This is because the ceramic material is harder than enamel, and a ceramic brace on the lower teeth could potentially damage the upper teeth by wearing them down or chipping them.

To ensure the best possible outcome for our patients, we use metal brackets on the lower teeth as they are more durable and less likely to cause any damage to the surrounding teeth.

While ceramic braces are a great option for many patients, it's important to consider the unique characteristics of your teeth and mouth when choosing the right type of braces for you. Our experienced orthodontists will work with you to determine the best treatment plan to achieve your desired results while prioritising the health and safety of your teeth.

If you play contact sports, it will be essential to wear a mouthguard. You should get advice from your general dentist about which type of mouthguard is best for you. It is possible to custom manufacture a mouthguard to fit closely to the teeth and the orthodontic appliance and brackets. Whilst this may be a slightly more costly option than an ‘off the shelf’ guard, it should provide better protection and be more comfortable due to its custom fit. Most children require a new mouthguard every season.

Like wearing a new pair of shoes, sometimes the brace rubs and can cause minor ulceration. All patients are given advice on how to manage this and some relief wax to use, should it be required.

If this doesn’t help, or you feel the brace is broken, please get in touch with our team. Sending in a photo is a great way for us to see exactly what is going on. Sometimes we can give advice over the phone or a quick video call. If the brace is significantly damaged, or causing problems, we usually will arrange a broken brace appointment with one of our clinicians, to fix the problem and get your treatment back on track.