Helping Athletes Protect Their Teeth and Braces

If you have looked into the cost of braces in Houston, you know that they are an investment.  And like any investment, you want to protect them.  However, there are more reasons that should motivate you to protect your or your child’s teeth than the cost of braces in Houston.  

For athletes, this means taking extra steps that non-athlete patients do not need to worry about.  If you or your child play contact sports, be certain that your doctor knows before treatment beings.  This information is vital to the team’s ability to give you or your child the right care.  Read below to learn more.

Do Not Give Up Sports

The first thing many of our athletic patients ask us is if they need to give up sports until they are out of treatment.  Our answer is a resounding no.  Sports are a great way to stay healthy—and we are all about health.  Not to mention that they give you the chance to socialize, let off steam, and all around feel better.  For our younger patients, they can also help them develop vital physical and social skills.  So definitely do not give up on sports just because you are entering treatment.  

What Are the Risks?

Teeth should always be protected when playing sports, even if you do not wear an appliance.  Without protection, you risk severe injury to the teeth.  We treat multiple patients every month who have chipped or missing teeth due to sports accidents; in all cases, these are patients who were not wearing the correct protection.  

Appliances make the risk of damage even greater.  In addition to harming the appliance itself, you can get the appliance caught on clothing, pulling on it and the teeth, and the appliance can cut the inside of the mouth.  It is vital that you protect your appliance and teeth.

How to Do It

The first thing to do is wear protective gear.  If you have Invisalign, this means taking out the aligner and putting in a mouth guard.  If you have traditional braces, you will need to have a special mouth guard made.  We can help you with this, but understand that it will be additional to the cost of braces.  While it isn’t fun to wear and children can resist it, wearing it is vital.  Make certain this is something you do not compromise on. 

Next, if the sport you or your child plays allows helmets or facemasks, wear them.  This will offer an additional layer of protection that could help prevent disaster.  Finally, work with the coach to learn ways to play that protect the face and teeth.

Once you put all of these methods together, you should find that your teeth are well protected and you can feel confident continuing to play sports. 

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Will Two-Phase Treatment for dental care Cost More?

Many parents are worried about the cost of braces in Houston, so when their orthodontist recommends Two-Phase treatment, they start to panic.  Two phases of treatment?  Isn’t that twice the braces and twice the cost?

This thought process drives many parents to put off treatment so they can invest in just one set of hopefully affordable braces in Houston, TX rather than two.  While logic would make you think that putting off treatment would save you money, the truth is that it could cost you a lot more in the long run.

To help put this in perspective, understand that the comparison you are making is between the cost of Two-Phase treatment on your child and the cost of one-time orthodontic treatment on a child who is recommended to have this one-time treatment.  The accurate comparison would be between the cost of your child’s Two-Phase treatment and the cost of your child getting treatment exclusively later in life.  Why do you need to make this comparison when thinking about the cost of braces in Houston?

Because orthodontists only recommended Two-Phase treatment and Invisalign treatment in Houston in cases where they believe that delaying treatment will result in more significant problems that will require greater intervention.  So while two sets of braces are more expensive than one, two sets of braces are cheaper than, say, tooth extraction, palatal expanders, surgery, and braces—all of which could be a possibility without Two-Phase treatment. 

However, even if significant interventions will not be needed—and it is difficult to predict if they will—the cost of Two-Phase treatment is not significantly higher than just going through the process once.  You would expect it to double the cost, but in some cases it will only cost about 25% more than waiting.  In addition to the fact that there will be two sets of braces and two retainers, other additional costs include the visits during the interim years between the two phases of treatment, x-rays, and other diagnostic tools. 

The affordability of Invisible braces treatment in Houston, TX aside, you might be wondering why you would consider putting your child through the struggle of braces twice in their life.  Essentially, the benefits outweigh the costs, both in terms of the financial costs and the adjustments needed when wearing braces.  Early intervention allows our team to get the kind of results that just are not possible in any other way.  Not to mention that that early intervention reduces the possibility of needing to take extreme—and often painful—measures to correct the position of the teeth and jaw. 

And you truly cannot put a price on the confidence your child will feel.  When young, there is nothing awkward about wearing braces because everyone else is too.  In fact, your child might be the cool kid for getting them earlier than most.  But going through life with a smile that doesn’t make them feel their best?  That can be devastating, even for young children.

So does Two-Phase treatment cost more?  In some cases, yes.  But ultimately, it is worth it.  

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