Reviewed by Megan Reznik, DDS, MS
Most orthodontic treatment starts between the ages of 11 and 15, because by then nearly all the permanent teeth are in and the jaw is still growing. Reznik Orthodontics treats teenagers at both its Midland and Odessa offices with metal braces, ceramic braces, self-ligating braces, and Invisalign, and the consultation is free.
Two things make the teenage years the efficient window. Enough permanent teeth are present that an orthodontist can see the finished bite rather than guessing at it. And your child is still growing, which means jaw growth can help with correction instead of being worked around. Both of those advantages close later.
There is a third, less clinical reason, and any parent of a fourteen-year-old already knows it: half their friends are in braces too, so the social cost is close to zero. That gets harder every year afterward.
What treatment costs for a teenager
The fee depends on the case, so no practice can quote a teenager’s braces before examining them. What you can pin down before you spend anything is how you’ll pay.
The consultation is free. Monthly payments start at $99, $0 down is available, and in-house payment plans carry no interest. Reznik Orthodontics is not in-network with any insurance plan, but accepts most PPO plans, bills your carrier directly, and takes assignment of benefits where the plan allows. Orthodontic benefits are usually a lifetime maximum rather than an annual allowance, so if you have more than one child, it is worth knowing how much of each child’s benefit is left before you plan the order.
Families with more than one child in treatment should say so at the consultation. The cost and financing page has every payment structure and what the fee includes.
Options for teenagers
Metal braces are the workhorse: most efficient for difficult movements, least expensive, and the color choices are genuinely part of the appeal at this age. Ceramic and AO Empower self-ligating brackets are much less visible, which matters more to some teenagers than to others, and the self-ligating clip means no elastic ties to stain.
Invisalign works well for a teenager who will wear it. That is the whole question, and it deserves an honest conversation before the fee is quoted rather than after. Aligners have to be in for 20 to 22 hours a day; a teenager who leaves them in a locker is not being treated. Plenty of teenagers manage it easily. You probably already know which kind you have.
The types of braces page compares all four side by side.
Fitting treatment around a school year
Visits fall 4 to 8 weeks apart and run 20 to 40 minutes. Both offices are open Monday through Thursday and closed Friday, which is worth knowing up front if your family is used to booking things at the end of the week.
A few practical points that come up every year here:
- Starting before the fall. A summer start means the adjustment period lands during the holidays rather than during two-a-days and the first weeks of band or drill team.
- Photographs. Yearbook, homecoming and senior portraits all have fixed dates. If a debond might land near one, say so early and the timing can be planned toward it.
- Contact sports. Anyone playing a contact sport should be wearing a mouthguard over their braces, and one is provided as part of treatment. Ask at the next visit rather than the week the season starts.
- Wind instruments. Braces change the feel of a mouthpiece for a week or two. Players adapt, and wax helps in the early days.
- Late afternoons fill first. Booking the next adjustment before you leave the office is the reliable way to get one.
Where parents make the difference
Treatment runs on things that happen at home: rubber bands worn as instructed, aligners actually in, brushing after meals with brackets on, and the food guidelines followed well enough that brackets stay on. Broken appliances and missed appointments are the two most common reasons a case runs long. None of that requires nagging so much as a routine, and most teenagers are managing their own treatment inside a month.
What treatment looks like for a teenager
Fitting takes one to two hours for braces, or a scan and a first set of trays for aligners. Expect three to five days of soreness afterwards, and a week or two while lips and cheeks toughen up against brackets. Orthodontic wax handles that, and it is supplied as often as needed.
After that, visits fall 4 to 8 weeks apart and run 20 to 40 minutes. Wires are changed as the teeth progress, or the next sets of aligners are handed over. Most teenagers manage their own appointments and their own routine within a month of starting.
At the end, braces come off or the last aligner comes out, and the retainer conversation starts. Teeth drift throughout life, so retention is what makes the previous two years permanent. It is worth telling a teenager that at the beginning rather than at the debond.
Book a free teen consultation
Call the Midland office at (432) 682-1222 or the Odessa office at (432) 333-7105, or request an appointment online.
Dr. Megan Reznik and Dr. Derek Reznik are each a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. The consultation is free, takes about an hour, and ends with a plan, a timeline and a fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 15 too late to start braces?
No. Fifteen is well inside the normal range, and treatment works at any age after that too. What changes is that less jaw growth remains, so a small number of corrections that would have been simple at 11 need a different approach at 15. That is a reason to be examined, not a reason to skip it.
Should a 13 year old choose braces or Invisalign?
It depends on the case and on the teenager. Aligners suit a 13 year old who is organized and motivated; braces suit one who is not, because nothing depends on remembering them. The consultation covers both, honestly.
How long will my teenager be in braces?
You will get a case-specific estimate at the consultation rather than an average. What moves it most is how far the teeth have to move and how consistently instructions are followed at home.
Can my teenager get braces if they still have a couple of baby teeth?
Sometimes, and sometimes it is better to wait a few months. That judgment is exactly what the examination is for. Children not yet ready go on the no-fee monitoring program so the right moment is not missed.
What if a bracket breaks the night before a game?
Call the office and follow the guidance on the emergency care page. A loose bracket is almost never urgent, and wax will hold most things comfortably until the next appointment.