Early Treatment
When it comes to your children’s teeth, did you know that earlier may be better than later? According to the American Association of Orthodontists, Children should see an orthodontist no later than 7 years old.
Kids can benefit in several ways when seeing an orthodontist at an early age. We can take advantage of growth and jaw development, if braces are required later, the treatment time will likely be shorter and less complicated. We can create more space, improve dental arches and possibly avoid the need for extractions of permanent teeth later in life. Improvement of swallowing, chewing and correction of any habits (tongue thrusting, thumb sucking) can be addressed. Correction of orthodontic problems may increase your child’s self-confidence and help boost self-esteem.
Early intervention may resolve several problems, including crowding and dysfunctional bites as well as the correction of poor oral habits. The sooner they’re taken care of, the less damage they may cause. Since these potential problems aren’t always easy to recognize it’s one more reason why you should bring your child in for an early orthodontic screening. Early evaluation isn’t always immediately followed by early treatment; in some cases, we simply monitor your child’s growth patterns until we see that it’s time for treatment to begin. This gives us an opportunity to get the best results in the most efficient way, and to help prevent future problems.
