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Children’s metal braces

Early metal braces can guide your child’s developing smile and tackle alignment issues while the jaw is still growing.

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What are metal braces?

Metal braces use small brackets bonded to your teeth, connected by a thin wire. Over time, the wire gently moves your teeth into the right position.

Braces give your orthodontist more control over tooth movement than any other treatment, which means reliable results even for complex cases.

Made from strong materials like titanium and stainless steel, metal braces are designed to withstand the daily wear and tear of brushing and chewing. They provide reliable and effective tooth alignment throughout your entire treatment duration.

Who are they for?

Metal braces are suitable for most cases, from mild crowding to more complex bite issues. We treat patients from age seven through to adulthood.

Ages 7 – 11

For children

Sometimes early treatment is recommended to get ahead of developing bite or alignment issues.

patient-child-smiling
Ages 12+

For teenagers

The most common time to get braces, and usually the ideal window for treatment.

Teenage girl with braces smiling
Ages 20+

For adults

More adults are choosing braces than ever — there’s no age limit on orthodontic treatment.

female patient smiling at dentist holding model teeth

What to expect

Every treatment journey is a little different. We’ll give you a personalised timeframe at your first appointment.

Most cases are in braces for 12 to 24 months. The simplest cases can be done in as short as six. Here’s what the journey looks like from consultation to retainers, so you know what to expect at each stage.

1

Consultation

We’ll review your teeth and bite together, and walk you through your treatment options.

Orthodontist consulting with parent and teeanager on computer
2

Diagnostic records

We review scans, photographs, and X-rays to build a complete picture of your teeth, jaw, and bite.

Orthodontist doing intraoral scanning
3

Getting fitted

We bond each bracket to your teeth and thread the wire through. This process takes about an hour.

Teenage girl with braces looking into mirror
4

Check-up appointments

We’ll see you every 6–8 weeks for a brief wire adjustment. This is usually a 10 to 15 minute appointment.

Orthodontist smiling at patient facing away from camera
5

Getting them removed

We remove your braces in one comfortable appointment. You’ll see your result straight away.

teenage girl smiling at camera
6

Retainers

After treatment, we’ll fit you with retainers to hold your teeth in position

Girl holding retainer and smiling at camera while dentist smiles in background

Braces colours

Pick, mix, and match the colour of your braces!

At every check-up, we swap out the elastic bands that hold your wire in place, so you can get a fresh colour each time.

Clear

Fire Red

Pink

Bubblegum

Orange

Green

Aqua

Teal

Navy Blue

Royal Blue

Light Blue

Lavender

Purple

Lilac

Pearl

Silver

Black

Looking after your braces

Braces don’t need much extra maintenance — just a little more care than usual.

Brushing after meals, flossing daily, and avoiding sugary, hard or sticky foods will keep things on track. We’ll walk you through it all at your fitting appointment. For the finer details, our resources section has all the information you need:

Care advice

Eating with braces

Some foods can snap brackets or bend wires. Get to know what to avoid, and what’s still fine.

Orthodontist reassuring teenage girl
Care advice

How to relieve pain from braces

Some tenderness after getting fitted is completely normal — here’s what helps.

teen-smiling-braces
Care advice

Managing problems with braces: long wires

Here's how to deal with a long or poking wire at home, using a pencil eraser, tweezers, wax or clippers, until you can see us.

treating long wires on braces
Care advice

Oral hygiene with braces

Brushing and flossing takes a little more effort with braces. Here’s how to keep your teeth clean.

braces-highlight
Care advice

Treatment instructions: Clear aligners

Starting your orthodontic journey with clear aligners is easy. Just make sure you are wearing them as directed.

Clear aligner instructions
More resources

Ready to learn more?

Book a consultation with a specialist orthodontist to talk through your options and the right treatment for you.

Request appointmentCall us: 02 6295 2005, starts a phone call

FAQs

Have a question about children’s metal braces?

More FAQs

  • Getting braces fitted doesn’t hurt. As the braces start moving teeth however, tenderness will build over the first 24 hours after fitting, and will be at its worst for the first 3-4 days particularly to eating and chewing.  The initial tooth tenderness will improve back to normal after a week.

  • Most patients are in braces for 12 to 24 months, depending on complexity.  Simpler cases can sometimes be completed in six months.

  • Our highly trained staff will help you the whole way through your braces journey. We will guide and instruct you on how to take care of your braces, from brushing to dietary tips, and managing tender teeth