20/05/2026
Your 13-year-old laughs with their hand over their mouth.
They have stopped smiling in photos.
They dread Monday mornings.
You may have noticed. They may not have told you why.
Between the ages of 13 and 15, the social world of a teenager is everything. How they look. How they are perceived. And — more than most parents realise — how their teeth look when they open their mouth.
Crowded, crooked, or protruding teeth are not just a dental issue at this age. They can be a daily source of humiliation.
📊 What the research tells us:
A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Oral Research found that schoolchildren subjected to bullying had statistically significantly higher levels of dental crowding than those who were not bullied — with an average crowding index of 11.6mm in bullied children versus 9.1mm in their peers.¹
And a landmark 2024 cross-sectional study of 700 schoolchildren aged 10–14, presented by the British Orthodontic Society, confirmed a higher prevalence of bullying in children with severe malocclusions — including crowding, overjet, and deep overbite. The study led the BOS to partner with the anti-bullying charity Kidscape specifically to support orthodontic practitioners in identifying and protecting vulnerable young patients.²
Comments about teeth, research also shows, are considered more hurtful than comments about height or weight. Your child is not being oversensitive. The wound is real.
What this looks like in real life, every single school day:
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Smiling with the mouth closed — or not smiling at all — to hide their teeth from classmates.
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Speaking softly, covering the mouth when laughing, or withdrawing from conversations to avoid attention.
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Anxiety about school, social events, and photographs — driven not by shyness but by shame about how their smile looks.
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Declining academic performance, reduced participation, and growing social isolation — all traced back to a smile they feel they cannot show the world.
The good news — and it is genuinely good news — is that this is treatable. And an Orthodontist does not just straighten teeth. They rebuild the confidence that crowded teeth quietly dismantle.
Three ways an Orthodontist allays their fears and starts them on the road back to confidence:
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1. The First Conversation — Making the Teenager Feel Heard, Not Examined
A skilled Orthodontist does not start with an X-ray. They start with a conversation — directed at the teenager, not the parent. What bothers you about your smile? What do you wish was different? That conversation communicates something critical: your feelings about your teeth matter here. For a 13-year-old who has been mocked in the corridor, being spoken to with dignity in a clinical setting is itself therapeutic. The fear of "more people looking at my teeth" dissolves when the person looking at their teeth is on their side.
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2. The Treatment Map — Giving Them a Roadmap to Look Forward To
Teenagers live in the present. They need to be shown the future. When an Orthodontist shows a teenager — using models, photographs, or digital simulation — what their smile will look like after treatment, the entire emotional frame shifts. The question stops being "what is wrong with my teeth?" and becomes "when will I get there?" That shift from shame to anticipation is one of the most powerful things orthodontic treatment delivers — often before a single bracket is placed. A clear timeline, explained simply and honestly, gives a teenager something no bully can take away: a plan.
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3. The Ongoing Relationship — Monthly Wins That Build Confidence Over Time
Orthodontic treatment for a teenager typically runs 18 to 24 months. Every appointment is a milestone — new progress, a visible change, a reason to look in the mirror with something other than dread. The Orthodontist becomes a consistent, trusted adult in a teenager's life — someone who notices improvement, celebrates it, and reinforces the narrative that this process is working. Parents frequently report that long before treatment is complete, their child begins to smile more freely, engage more confidently, and talk about their teeth with pride rather than shame. The brace itself becomes a badge — not of imperfection, but of a teenager who is doing something about it.
A note to parents. The ages of 13 to 15 are a critical window — not just for jaw growth and treatment effectiveness, but for self-esteem formation. What your teenager internalises about their appearance during these years stays with them. Acting now is not vanity. It is parenting.
💰 Our fees — clearly stated:
Initial Consultation - P 650
Diagnostic Records (X-rays, photos, models) -P 7,090
Treatment -Varies by case complexity
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We accept Medical Aid.
📲 Book your child's consultation on WhatsApp today.
Send us your child's name, age, and your main concern. We are in Gaborone — and we take teenage confidence seriously.
Share this post with a parent who needs to read it. Every teenager deserves to smile without fear. 🙏🏽
¹ Ayma-Morales A et al., "Crowding of anterior teeth and bullying in schoolchildren," Journal of Oral Research, 2020 — bullied children had average crowding of 11.6mm vs 9.1mm in non-bullied peers (p
