How long do teenagers wear braces?
Most teenagers wear braces for between 12 and 24 months. Simple crowding or spacing often finishes in about a year. Correcting a bite, making room with extractions or bringing down an impacted canine takes closer to two. Clear aligners sit in the same range for the cases that suit them. After the braces come off, retainers hold the result, and at Milk they are included in the fee. Every plan is different, so at the $390 New Patient Consultation you get a written estimate for your own teenager, not an average.
4.9 from 75 Google reviews · Specialist orthodontist · No referral needed · Newmarket and Albany
Reviewed by Dr Shaz MacAvoy, Specialist Orthodontist. Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics), registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand.
Typical treatment times by case
Guides only. Two teenagers with the same label can need quite different plans, which is why we quote a time for each case.
Mild crowding or spacing: 9 to 15 months
A few overlapping front teeth, a gap or two, a rotated tooth. The teeth are levelled and aligned, the bite is checked, and the braces come off. These are the cases that also suit Angel Aligners.
Moderate crowding: 15 to 20 months
Teeth that need real room made, often without extractions, and a bite that needs some fine tuning once the teeth are straight. The finishing stage is where a specialist earns the time.
Bite correction: 18 to 24 months
An overjet, a deep bite, a crossbite or an open bite adds a stage to treatment. Elastics worn as asked make the biggest single difference to how long this stage takes.
Extractions or impacted teeth: 20 to 30 months
When teeth are removed to make room, or a canine is stuck in the bone and has to be guided down, there is simply more distance for the teeth to travel. Worth it, and we say so honestly up front.
What makes braces take longer
Most of the things that add months are in the patient's hands, which is good news, because it means they can be avoided.
The three stages of treatment
1. Fitting and the first week
The braces go on in one visit and the teeth feel tender for three to five days. Soft food, wax and ordinary pain relief see most teens through. Read the first week with braces.
2. Adjustments every 6 to 10 weeks
Each visit is 15 to 20 minutes. First the teeth are levelled and aligned, then the bite is corrected, often with elastics, then the details are finished. This is the long middle of treatment, and it fits around school.
3. Braces off, retainers on
The brackets come off in a single visit and the retainers are fitted. Retainers are worn every night for as long as you want the teeth to stay straight, and they are included in the fee, along with aftercare.
The two things that shorten treatment most
Wearing elastics exactly as asked and brushing well. Elastics are what correct the bite, and they only work while they are in. Clean gums let the teeth move freely. Between them they are the difference between finishing on time and running three or four months over. Our life with braces guide covers both.
Answered honestly
How long do teenagers usually wear braces?
Between 12 and 24 months for most comprehensive treatment. Simple crowding or spacing is often closer to a year, bite correction nearer two, and cases with extractions or an impacted canine can run to 30 months. You get a written estimate for your own teenager at the consultation.
Do clear aligners take less time than braces for a teenager?
For the mild to moderate cases that suit them, aligners take about the same time as braces, often 9 to 18 months. They are not faster, and if they are worn for less than 22 hours a day they are slower. For complex bites, braces are usually the quicker and more reliable tool.
Can braces come off early?
Sometimes a little, when the teeth move faster than planned and the bite is right. We will never take braces off before the bite is finished just to hit a date, because the result would not last. If a date matters, tell us at the start and we plan towards it.
Will treatment be finished before the school ball?
Often, if we know early. Tell us the date at the first visit. Starting 18 months or more ahead usually gives enough time. If it is closer than that, clear braces or aligners for the last stretch, or a plan that reaches a good-looking stage by the date, are the honest options.
What happens if my teenager keeps breaking brackets?
Each broken bracket can add a few weeks, because the tooth stops moving until it is repaired. We fix them quickly and go over the foods to avoid. Persistent breakages are usually a food habit, and once that changes, treatment gets back on track.
How long do retainers need to be worn after braces?
Every night, for as long as you want the teeth to stay straight. Teeth drift throughout life, so we think of retainers as permanent night wear, like a seatbelt. Retainers and aftercare are included in the fee at Milk.
How long is each braces appointment?
A routine adjustment takes 15 to 20 minutes, every 6 to 10 weeks. The fitting and the removal visits are longer, about an hour each. Many teens travel to the short visits on their own from school.
Does starting at 12 or at 16 change how long braces take?
Usually not. Treatment time depends on the case and on how well the braces are looked after, far more than on age. Where jaw growth would have helped a bite, an older teen may need a different plan, not a longer one.
Get a time for your own teenager
A free 20 minute Smile Assessment at Newmarket or Albany, then a written plan with a time estimate and an exact all-inclusive quote at the $390 consultation. No referral needed.
Related: orthodontics for teens, the first week with braces, life with braces and braces cost for under 18s.