Orthodontics for Children

Treatment needed during the time that your child is beginning to lose their baby teeth is called Early Interceptive Treatment.  While many problems can wait to be addressed after all permanent teeth come in, many should be treated early to avoid more serious problems later. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends visiting the orthodontist around age seven. The best treatment is performed by an AAO orthodontist, who is a specialist in straightening teeth and jaws for patients of all ages. No referral is necessary.

Early treatment allows your orthodontist to:

• Correct and guide the growth of the jaws (overbite, underbite, crossbite)
• Widen the arches to create more space for eruption of permanent teeth
• Increase nasal airway to help alleviate breathing difficulties
• Create more space for crowded teeth
• Avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions later in life
• Improve speech and function
• Correct thumb sucking and other habits

Here are a few things to look for that may mean your child needs to see an orthodontist:

• Jaws and teeth that are not proportionate to the rest of the face 
• Early or late loss of baby teeth
• Crowded, misplaced, or blocked teeth
• Teeth that come together abnormally, or do not come together at all
• A hard time chewing or biting food
• Inability to close lips together
• Mouth breathing
• Finger or thumb sucking
• Jaws that pop or make sounds when opening and closing

 Please contact our practice to schedule an appointment for an orthodontic evaluation. Early treatment now will give your child a healthy, beautiful smile for the future.

Appliances for Children include:

Expanders - to increase jaw width

Night-time facemask - for underbites

Upper braces - to align and/or reduce protrusion of teeth

Removable appliances - to increase space for teeth, improve the developing bite, enhance jaw growth

Habit appliances - for thumb or finger sucking

Space maintainers - to preserve space after early loss of baby molars