Here, our orthodontists at SmileTown Orthodontics Braces & Invisalign discuss the details about when your child can begin their orthodontic treatment.
Each child has a unique and lovely smile- especially your child! You may be starting to think about when you should bring your child to the orthodontist for the first time so their treatment can have the best results possible.
The answer to this question is determined by how serious your child's bite or jaw misalignment is. In the past, it was normal for orthodontists to delay orthodontic treatment until a child enters their teenage years (typically between 12 and 14 years old). This was done to provide permanent adult teeth with enough time to erupt. Although, this method often results in permanent teeth having to be extracted so teeth can have enough space to move.
Today, our orthodontists take a different approach to orthodontic treatment. With interceptive orthodontics, our team can start treating kids as young as 7 to 11 years old. The benefit of early treatment is that we can fix problems before they fully develop and can retain more of the adult teeth that would have needed to be extracted later.
Interceptive orthodontics allows us to use orthodontic appliances (not always braces) while your child still has their baby teeth. Once your child's adult teeth erupt, they can begin the second phase of their orthodontic treatment. Usually, this is when they will wear braces.
Our orthodontists can assess your child's teeth and oral health to see if they are candidates for treatment. If we can address your child's alignment problems with orthodontic intervention, our team will discuss how treatment could have a positive outcome for your child's smile. We'll explain to you all of the treatment options we have available and establish a customized treatment plan.