Preventive Orthodontics

Every child should have an orthodontic intervention around seven years of age. Early treatment is not necessary for all children. But early evaluation at right age aids your child to start treatment at the ideal time for their specific orthodontic condition. So that they will obtain a conservative and most well-organized treatment to correct their orthodontic problems. The idea behind pre- illegible orthodontics is to stimulate jaw bone growth, to allow straighter teeth eruption and reduced crowding of teeth.

During these visits our dentist at Dental Care Professionals will be monitoring your child’s eruption and skeletal growth. If necessary, X- rays will be taken by our dentist at these visits. Our dentist will give you a suggestion whether anything should be done at an early stage or can wait until your child is older. This gives you an opportunity to plan ahead what kind of treatment can be done in future. With proper intervention and space management, sometimes braces can be avoided.

Treatment Phases:

Early or phase I treatment usually begins around 8 or 9 years of age and phase II will begins around age 11 or older.

Early Treatment:

The main aim of early treatment is to correct the growth of the jaw and certain bite problems, such as underbite. Early treatment also helps to make room for permanent teeth to come in properly and lessens the chance of extractions in the future. Situations that necessitates early treatment includes:

• Mouth breathing
• Difficulty in chewing and biting
• Tongue thrusting
• Thumb sucking even after 5 yrs. of age
• Too much space between the teeth
• Speech problems
• Early or delay in loss of milk teeth (ideal time to shed all the teeth around age 5 and eruption of all permanent teeth should stop around 13 years of age)
• Upper and lower teeth protrusion or retrusion
• Teeth erupts in an irregular manner
• Crossbite
• Deep bite
• Crowding of front teeth around 7 or 8 yrs of age

Advantages:

• Prevents the need for more intense orthodontic treatment later
• Avoid tooth extraction and surgery
• Saves time and money
• Avoids some unpleasant procedures
• Planned treatment started at the correct time

For teenagers, the jaw bone will harden and stop growing. For adults, orthodontic treatment time is longer compared to children. Early orthodontic treatment as a child can help prevent the need for orthodontics as an adult. This reduces the chance of permanent tooth extractions or surgery in the future.

The importance of pre-illegible orthodontics for young children is more for observation and less for treatment. That’s why it’s suggested that your child see an orthodontist by age seven. So, it is advised to all parents to visit our dentist at right age and we will provide your child with an initial exam, and discuss with you the best steps to be taken for your child’s healthy smile.

Our orthodontist will inspect for any signs that indicate there could be orthodontic concerns as your child matures. After careful assessment of your child’s teeth, a highly personalized orthodontic plan will be outlined by our orthodontist and we will monitor your child’s progress from young through adolescence.

“Orthodontic problems -Detected early can be corrected quickly.”