Early Treatment
The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that children be evaluated by an orthodontist by age 7, or earlier if a problem is detected. At age 7, children start transitioning from baby teeth to permanent teeth, and we can detect bigger problems that may be developing. Early detection of orthodontic problems allows us to treat your child in the least invasive and most cost effective manner possible.
Early treatment may be recommended if your child has one of the following conditions:
Posterior Crossbite
The upper back teeth fit inside of the bottom teeth
Anterior Crossbite
The upper front teeth are behind the bottom teeth
Open Bite
The top and bottom teeth do not overlap properly
Dental Crowding
Insufficient space for the permanent teeth
Protruded Teeth
Protruded front teeth are prone to injury
Irregular Jaw Growth
Growth of top and bottom jaws are not in balance
Early treatment is only recommended for the correction of specific orthodontic problems. If your child does not need early treatment, we continue to monitor their growth and development so that potential problems can be caught early. Appointments to monitor your child are complimentary and usually occur every 4-12 months.
- Monitoring your child allows us to:
- Evaluate the eruption of the permanent teeth and growth of the jaws
- Detect problems with eruption of the permanent teeth early, so that we can intervene when appropriate
- Guide the parents concerning the most optimal time to begin treatment
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