Orthodontics for Children
It can be difficult to pin point an absolute age the children can start orthodontic treatment. The American Association of orthodontists would suggest the children start to visit an orthodontist around the age of seven. Download their guide here.
Usually around seven years old children will have both baby teeth and adult teeth. An orthodontist can make adjustments to baby teeth so that adult teeth will grow in differently and orthodontic treatments can be done without any use of surgery.
The advantages of early orthodontic treatment:
- The ability to specially guide the formation of your child’s jaw so that all teeth will simply grow in straight without the use of orthodontic appliances.
- Eliminating baby teeth to leave space for larger adult teeth. This avoids crowding.
- Help to change the formation of the lower and upper arches so that they form correctly.
- Perform tooth extractions early to prevent future surgeries.
- Work to improve any speech problems that your child is experiencing as well as correct damage from thumb sucking.
A free consultation is an excellent way to see if your child may need any orthodontic treatment. Contact Dr. Bill by calling our office for an appointment is the best way to find out.
Some signs that may identify your child needs an orthodontist:
They lost their baby teeth early or later than most children.- Kids have difficulty eating, biting and chewing their food.
- Kids regularly use their mouth to breathe.
- Children still continue to suck their thumbs or fingers.
- Flossing is very difficult as teeth have crowded in, blocked one another or look missed placed.
- If your children’s job makes a noise such as a popping noise whenever it is opened or closed.
- If the structure of your child’s bite comes together in an abnormal fashion.
- Their jaws or their teeth are much larger than the rest of their face and disproportionate.
- Your children between the ages of seven and eight and their front teeth have come in extremely close together.
If you have identified any of these signs feel free to schedule a consultation for evaluation at our offices, simply click here. If you can bring your children in for treatment earlier, you can avoid serious orthodontic surgery and methods that may need to be used once their jaws and teeth are fully formed.
Redmond Orthodontics – Opal Seal – Laguna Niguel Tel: (949) 495-0600
Orthodontics for Children
