i just took my son to get braces
I remember when I had my braces.  It was a pain having them on, but it is nice having straightened teeth and a better bite.  How long will he wear them?
they say around 12 months.. hopefully less if he does what he is supposed to do
Are the braces Cosmetic, or structural?  
cosmetic .. too much spacing i believe is what they said
I had the same exact thing.  It took me about 18 months.  It's hard to believe how long people have been thinking about making teeth straighter.  People were discussing how to make it work back in 400-300 BC!
yea its crazy the way they come up with these things
Archaeologists have even found ancient mummies with metal bands wrapped around there teeth.  Strange!
wow.. that is vert interesting
And after that they would make something called catgut, which was cords made from animal intestines to close gaps in teeth.  So if your son feels bad about having the metal in his mouth, remind him of how bad it could be.