How Long Do Braces Take? Timeline for Children and Adults

While invisible aligners have grown in popularity, fixed braces – including traditional metal, discreet ceramic, and hidden lingual braces – all offer an excellent route to achieving precise, comprehensive results. Because fixed appliances provide continuous, controlled pressure, they are incredibly efficient at tackling both simple tweaks and complex misaligned bites.

However, the timeline for fixed braces is not a one-size-fits-all equation. Treatment duration varies depending on the severity of the misalignment, the specific type of fixed brace chosen, and the age of the patient. Here is a breakdown of what children and adults can expect during their time in braces.

The Types of Fixed Braces

Before diving into timelines, it is helpful to understand the options when it comes to fixed braces:

• Traditional Metal Braces: Made of high-grade stainless steel, these are the most common and robust option, using brackets and archwires to shift teeth. They are often the fastest and most effective choice for complex cases, typically taking about 12 to 18 months.
• Ceramic Braces: Functioning exactly like metal braces, these use clear or tooth-coloured brackets to blend in with your natural teeth, making them much less noticeable. They typically take around 12 to 24 months because they work like metal braces but use a more delicate material.
• Lingual Braces: These are custom-made fixed braces attached to the back (lingual) surfaces of your teeth, rendering them completely invisible from the front.

The Braces Timeline for Children and Teenagers

Average Duration: 12 to 24 Months

Childhood and adolescence are the ideal times for orthodontic intervention. Because young people are still growing, their jawbones are more malleable and responsive to the gentle forces applied by fixed braces, although several factors still affect how long treatment lasts for children and teens.

• Phase 1 (Interceptive Orthodontics): Sometimes, children as young as 7 to 10 require early intervention to guide jaw growth and make room for erupting permanent teeth. This phase typically lasts 6 to 12 months.
• Phase 2 (Comprehensive Treatment): Once most or all of the adult teeth have erupted (usually between ages 11 and 14), full fixed braces are applied. Because a teenager’s bone tissue is highly adaptable, teeth tend to move more rapidly into their correct positions. In mild cases, braces can correct alignment issues in as little as 4 to 6 months, and minor problems such as mild crowding or spacing may be corrected in about 6 to 8 months. More complex cases, depending on severity, can take much longer and may extend to as much as 24–36 months.

The Timeline for Adults

Average Duration: 18 to 36 Months

It is never too late to achieve the smile you have always wanted, and a significant portion of our patients at Infinity Smiles are adults.

Adult orthodontic treatment generally takes a little longer than it does for children, and most adult patients can expect treatment to last around 12 to 18 months, though severe cases may take longer. The primary reason is that an adult’s jaw has stopped growing, and the bone surrounding the teeth is denser. Teeth must be moved at a careful, steady pace to ensure the roots and surrounding bone remain healthy and stable.

• Minor Adjustments: If you are an adult seeking cosmetic alignment for just the front teeth, treatment with fixed ceramic or lingual braces could take as little as 6 to 12 months, with clear aligners also among the options when less control is needed.
• Comprehensive Corrections: For adults requiring bite correction alongside straightening, complex cases involving bite problems or other issues may take up to 36 months to reach the desired position and deliver a straighter smile. While this requires patience, the structural precision and long-term stability achieved by fixed braces make the time investment worthwhile.

What Else Influences Your Timeline?

Regardless of age, several factors influence how long your braces will stay on:

• Complexity of the Issue: Closing a small gap takes less time than correcting a severe overbite or rotating severely crowded teeth; crooked teeth affecting both the top and bottom teeth can make treatment more involved and take longer.
• Compliance: Keeping your appointments, maintaining excellent oral hygiene, and immediately reporting any broken brackets or snapped wires will keep your treatment on schedule. Following your orthodontist’s instructions matters too, since hard or sticky foods can damage appliances and poor hygiene can contribute to tooth decay or gum disease that slows progress.
• Biological Response: Everyone’s body is unique. Some individuals simply experience faster tooth movement than others.

A realistic timeline depends on how closely you follow the plan and how your teeth respond.

Frequently Asked Questions: Fixed Braces

Do fixed braces hurt?

Having braces fitted is completely painless. However, you will likely experience some mild discomfort or aching for a few days after they are initially attached, and after your routine adjustment appointments. This is completely normal and can usually be managed with over-the-counter pain relief and by eating the right soft foods.

How often will I need to visit Infinity Smiles for adjustments?

At your first appointment, we establish a bespoke treatment plan and set a realistic braces timeline before regular adjustment visits begin. You will typically need to visit our practice every 6 to 8 weeks. During these appointments, your orthodontist will check your progress, replace elastic bands, and tighten or change the archwires to ensure your teeth keep moving in the right direction.

Will I need to change my diet during brace treatment?

Yes, slight adjustments may be required to your eating habits. To protect your brackets and wires from breaking, you should avoid hard, crunchy, and sticky foods (such as boiled sweets, chewing gum, whole apples, and crusty bread). Cutting firmer foods into smaller, bite-sized pieces will help protect your appliance.

Hard or sticky foods can also damage brackets or the metal wire and extend treatment. You should also avoid fizzy drinks during treatment, as the acid can get trapped against your teeth and weaken your enamel as well as the specialised glue that holds brackets to your teeth.

Are lingual braces faster at fixing crooked teeth than metal braces?

Lingual braces take roughly the same amount of time as traditional front-facing metal or ceramic braces. In some highly specific cases, they may take slightly longer to adjust during your appointments due to their position, but the overall treatment timeline remains very similar.

The type of braces matters, though: traditional metal ones are often faster for complex needs, while clear aligners may work faster for mild cases. For example, Damon braces – which use archwires and brackets rather than traditional elastic bands – often finish in 10 to 18 months because their self-ligating brackets reduce pressure and can speed up tooth movement, while Invisalign may straighten mild cases in 4 to 6 months and moderate cases in 6 to 12 months.

How do I keep my teeth clean with fixed braces?

Excellent oral hygiene is paramount. You will need to brush after every meal using a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. We also highly recommend using interdental brushes or a water flosser to carefully clean beneath the wires and around the brackets, as well as using a daily fluoride mouthwash to protect your enamel. Good orthodontic care continues after braces are removed, because retainers will often be used to help stop the teeth returning to their original position.

Ready to take the first step towards a straighter, healthier smile? Book your free consultation with the specialist team at Infinity Smiles today, so you know what to expect treatment-wise from the first appointment.