Bracing
As braces nowadays require more
reading in front of people during a
than 40 days and 40 nights to prop-
Bar or Bat Mitzvah.”
erly see results, why is braces
Teeth can shift in the limbo
removal all the rage?
between braces and bare teeth, and
Getting your mouth full of metal
the excessive removals can hurt the
removed (did anyone else pick up
enamel. Otherwise, Wang said the
static, or was that just me?) to appear
procedures are relatively straightfor-
more photogenic during one’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah is not unlike
ward, and transitional retainers are used as a middleman.

putting “flippers” — expensive faux teeth — on toddlers in chil-
“The longer you go on vacations from your braces, basically it
dren’s pageants to make them seem more mature. But that process
delays the process of finishing in a timely manner,” she noted.

is less involved. The question for B’nai Mitzvah: Is it worth it?
Another big issue Wang has discovered: persuading kids to get
“Usually when we go over the pros and the cons with the
the braces back on.

patient and the parent, usually the cons outweigh the pros,” said
“It’s that sweet freedom,” she laughed.

Vanessa Wang, an orthodontist with Narberth Dental Group.

But a happy medium between that sweet freedom and full-on
While some choose to stay the course of treatment, others go
metal mouth include advancements like Invisalign, according to
for the removal. (This is true of brides and grooms, too,
Sherri Middleberg, office manager of Orthodontics
she said.)
Limited, PC in Northeast Philadelphia.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “For some kids it’s
Both braces and Invisalign are worn 24/7,
“I’ve had requests
totally worth it, and for some parents it’s
but Invisalign is taken out to brush teeth or
totally worth it.”
eat, so the overall treatment is slightly less
[to remove the braces]
If Wang knows early on in the consul-
time than braces.

either due to aesthetics or
tation that there is a big event coming
“It’s not happening as much maybe
due to being able to perform
up, she tries to steer them toward some-
because braces are a rite of passage at
the functions of singing or
thing more inconspicuous like
that age and it’s more acceptable. It’s not
reading in front of people
Invisalign. such a bad thing to have braces,” she
“That is much easier to take a break
noted. during a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.”
from,” she said. “But taking the braces off
Middleberg said all three of her now-
— VANESSA WANG
in the middle of treatment might be some-
grown children went through braces,
NARBERTH DENTAL GROUP
thing that might end up creating more disad-
though she had to look up at their Bar and Bat
vantage than there is benefit. We will do it if it is
Mitzvah photos in her office to recall if they had
truly what is requested, but we just have to be thorough
braces during those times (they didn’t).

with what some of the consequences could be.”
“It’s a personal preference,” she added, “because these pictures
But temporarily removing braces isn’t always for aesthetics.

are like a wedding picture. It’s something that you’re going to hang
“These pictures are going to be memorabilia for a lifetime, and
up or look at for many years until the next milestone.”
for other people it’s, ‘Oh, little Johnny can’t read or sing with those
Orthodontics Limited will remove braces and replace them for
in his mouth,’” she said. “So I’ve had requests either due to aesthet-
the occasion free of charge — they are usually off for about a
ics or due to being able to perform the functions of singing or
week, she said — and since orthodontics has come a long way
since the ancient Egyptians, the pain now is nonexistent.

“It’s just a matter of a little bit of glue and then there’s a
curing light — once it shines on the glue, it hardens, so it’s not
like the old days where you had to cap each tooth with a band,”
she explained.

For Bar or Bat Mitzvah kids who keep the braces on, many choose
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to get those colored rubber bands to match their party theme.

“If their cake and their decorations are red and pink, maybe a
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girl would want red and pink elastics,” she said. She’s seen preteens
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