Every August, we hear some version of the same question from parents in Montclair, Verona, Cedar Grove, and Glen Ridge: she's starting braces, but she has soccer tryouts in two weeks — should we wait?

Almost always, the answer is no. You don't have to choose between orthodontic treatment and a sport. But a little planning around the season calendar makes the first few weeks considerably easier, and there are a couple of decisions that are genuinely better made before the season starts than during it.

Here's how we think about it.

Time the start of treatment, not the sport

New Jersey high school seasons follow a predictable rhythm. Fall practices open in mid-August, winter sports get going in mid-to-late November, and spring seasons begin in March. The most uncomfortable stretch of any orthodontic treatment is the first three to five days after braces go on, and again for a day or two after each adjustment.

That gives you two good windows:

Two to three weeks before the season starts. By the time tryouts or preseason conditioning begins, the initial soreness has passed and your athlete has already figured out what they can eat. This is our favorite option.

During the off-season. If your child plays one sport, the gap between seasons is an easy place to start. If they play three, this window may not exist, which is fine — see above.

What we'd avoid is bonding braces the same week as tryouts, a tournament, or a championship run. Not because anything bad happens, but because a sore mouth and a high-pressure week make each other worse.

Appointments themselves are short and infrequent — most patients come in every 6 to 10 weeks. We schedule around practice and game days whenever we can, and we hold early-morning and after-school slots specifically for student athletes. If your team practices at a fixed time, tell us at your first visit and we'll build the whole treatment schedule around it.

The mouthguard question

This is the part that actually matters for safety, and it's where we see the most confusion.

A standard boil-and-bite mouthguard does not work over braces. It's molded to the shape of the teeth, and teeth with braces are both a different shape and a moving target. Within a few weeks it fits badly, which means it protects badly.

What your athlete needs instead is an orthodontic mouthguard — a guard made from a softer, higher-volume material designed to fit over brackets and accommodate tooth movement. These are widely available, inexpensive, and sold specifically for this purpose. We can point you to the ones we like, and we'll check the fit at your appointments.

A few things worth knowing:

• Orthodontic guards protect the lips and cheeks as much as the teeth. Most braces-related sports injuries aren't broken brackets — they're lacerations from soft tissue getting pushed into hardware.
• Guards are required in New Jersey high school football, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey, and wrestling. We'd add basketball and soccer to that list voluntarily. Elbows to the mouth are not rare in either sport.
• Guards need replacing more often during orthodontic treatment than after it, since the teeth underneath keep moving.
• If your athlete also wears a retainer on the opposing arch or has an expander, mention it — the fit needs to account for that.

What about clear aligners?

Invisalign and similar clear aligner systems are a reasonable option for athletes and are often easier during a season, since there are no brackets or wires to catch on anything.

Two caveats that matter more for athletes than for anyone else:

Aligners are not mouthguards. They're thin, rigid plastic. In a contact sport, an aligner should come out and a real mouthguard should go in. The aligner goes in its case — not in a pocket, not on the bench, not wrapped in a napkin, which is how aligners get thrown away.

Aligners only work if they're worn 20 to 22 hours a day. For a two-sport athlete with practice, games, and travel, that's a real discipline question. Some teenagers handle it beautifully. Others lose two weeks of progress in a season. We'll give you an honest read on which one your kid is likely to be at the consultation, and there's no wrong answer — braces work just as well and require nothing from your teenager but showing up.

For non-contact sports — track, cross country, swimming, tennis, golf — the calculus is simpler and aligners are a straightforward option.

Build an away-game kit

Whatever the treatment, five dollars of supplies in the equipment bag prevents most weekend problems:

• Orthodontic wax, for a wire or bracket that starts rubbing
• A spare orthodontic mouthguard
• A travel toothbrush and floss threaders
• The aligner case, if applicable, and the current tray
• Our phone number in your athlete's phone, not just yours

If something breaks

Broken brackets during sports are uncommon, and when they happen they're rarely urgent. If a bracket comes loose or a wire shifts, cover the spot with wax and call us — we'll fit you in, usually within a day or two. There's no need to leave a game or drive to an emergency room for a loose bracket.

The exception is a blow to the mouth that loosens or displaces a tooth itself, moves the jaw, or causes bleeding that won't stop. That's a same-day call, to us or to your dentist, regardless of whether braces are involved.

The short version

Start treatment two to three weeks before the season if you can. Get a real orthodontic mouthguard and wear it. Keep wax in the bag. Tell us your practice schedule and we'll work around it.

Playing a sport is not a reason to delay orthodontic treatment, and orthodontic treatment is not a reason to sit out a season.

Have a fall athlete starting soon? We're at 685 Bloomfield Ave, Suite 103, Verona, NJ 07044 — a few minutes from both Montclair and Verona High School. Consultations are complimentary, and we'll give you a straight answer about timing before you commit to anything.

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