Some people may need orthodontic treatment (braces) for several reasons, including correcting crooked, overlapping, or crowded teeth or how jaws align and teeth bite together.

Some benefits of wearing braces might include improving:

• the way teeth bite together
• the balance between the face and teeth resulting in a more pleasing smile
• self-esteem
• chewing function
• straightness of teeth.

For children, your child's dental professional may be the first to notice problems during a dental check-up and recommend that you see an orthodontist (a dentist who specialises in correcting jaw and teeth alignment problems).

There is no set age for a child's first orthodontist visit — some children go when they're 6, some go when they're 10, and some go while they're in their teens, depending on their dental development.

For further information regarding orthodontics, visit the Orthodontics Australia website or speak to the staff at your closest SA Dental clinic.

To be eligible for referral for orthodontic treatment through SA Dental you must:

• be under the age of 18
• have, or be a child dependant on, a current concession card or be a child under the Guardianship of the Minister
• be assessed by an SA Dental clinic dentist as having an orthodontic problem that would significantly benefit from correction
• have good oral hygiene and oral health.

There is a waiting time for orthodontic treatment once referred.

When you reach the top of the waiting list and are offered orthodontic care, you must also have, or be a child dependant on, a current concession card or be a child under the Guardianship of the Minister at this time.

If you are not eligible for orthodontic treatment through SA Dental you can seek orthodontic care privately.

To find a private orthodontist, visit the Orthodontics Australia website below.

All clients, except children under the Guardianship of the Chief Executive (GOCE), must pay a fee for their orthodontic treatment.

The fee you will need to pay depends on the treatment required.

Fees for treatment must be paid in full before treatment starts. Travel expenses for appointments are not reimbursed.

The Give a Smile program allows those who reach the top of the public orthodontic waiting to access orthodontic treatment through a participating private practice.

If you want to access the Give a Smile program, you first need to be on the public orthodontic waiting list – contact your closest SA Dental clinic to discuss eligibility and arrange an orthodontic assessment.

Clients who live near a participating orthodontic private practice may be offered this opportunity, however as there are limited numbers of participating practices, only a small number of clients may be offered this.

In South Australia, if you’re referred to a private orthodontic practice through the Give a Smile program, you will pay the same fee as you would at SA Dental. However, this fee will go to a charitable trust of the Australian Society of Orthodontics, not to SA Dental or the orthodontist directly.