Your three main options
Three main choices cover almost every teenager. Metal braces are the workhorse: reliable, good value, and these days they come with coloured elastics that most teens rather enjoy picking. Clear braces do the same job with tooth-coloured brackets that fade against the teeth, which suits self-conscious teens. And Invisalign Teen uses clear, removable aligners for teens who would rather not have anything fixed to their teeth at all. With braces, the coloured elastics are changed at every visit, so a teen can switch up the look as often as they like.
None of these is automatically best. The right one depends on the case, the teen's routine, and how they feel about their smile day to day. Dr. Catherine McLeod is a specialist orthodontist and a certified Invisalign Teen provider, and she also fits braces every day, so her recommendation is about what fits your teen, not about steering everyone toward one product. You can weigh up the removable route on our clear aligners page.
Fitting treatment around a teenager's life
Teenage life does not pause for orthodontics, and modern treatment is built around that. Removable aligners come out for meals, matches and cleaning, so there is nothing off the menu and no special flossing technique to learn. Braces ask a little more care, but nothing dramatic: soft foods for a few days after each adjustment, a mouthguard for contact sport, and good brushing around the brackets. Our guide to life with braces covers the day-to-day in detail.
The one honest catch with aligners is discipline. They only work when they are actually in, around 22 hours a day, which suits some teens beautifully and others not at all. Dr. Catherine McLeod will talk that through frankly with you both, because the best appliance is the one your teen will really wear.
How it works, and how long it takes
It starts with a free consultation, no referral needed. Dr. Catherine McLeod checks the teeth and bite, takes a comfortable digital iTero scan rather than a tray of putty, and lays out the options with an exact, written quote. Treatment length depends on the case and is different for every mouth, but she will give you an honest range up front rather than a vague promise. When the active phase is done, a retainer holds the new smile in place.
As a specialist orthodontist, rather than a general dentist offering braces on the side, Dr. Catherine McLeod has spent years training specifically in moving teeth and guiding growth, and she works to avoid extractions wherever it is clinically sensible. Interest-free plans from $149 a month keep it manageable for families across Halifax and the wider HRM. There is no waitlist either, so most families are seen within a week or two of getting in touch.