People often think of making an appointment to see a specialist orthodontist after all the permanent teeth have come through (around age 12-13) but actually The American Association of Orthodontists recommend all children have an initial assessment with an orthodontist by the age of 7.
The reason is, at this age all possible treatment options are available- if we seen a child much older than this we may have, for example, missed an opportunity to influence jaw growth or to make more space for the teeth as they grow into the mouth.
At this early age, enough permanent adult teeth have come in to detect many common bite problems. If orthodontic treatment is necessary, we can often begin treatment even while your child’s baby teeth are still there.
Common Problems We Look For:
- Overjet — Upper front teeth protrude
- Deep bite — Upper front teeth cover lower front teeth too much
- Underbite — Lower front teeth protrude
- Open bite — Back teeth are together with space between the front teeth
- Crowding — Upper and/or lower teeth are crowded
- Excess spacing — There is excess space between teeth
- Mid-line misalignment — Mid-lines of upper and lower arches do not line up
- Crossbite — Upper back teeth fit inside lower teeth
If we do recommend orthodontic treatment for your child between the age of 7-10 this is usually called ‘Phase 1 treatment’. The most common type of early orthodontic treatment involve palatal expanders (RME’s), space maintaining palatal and lingual arches or functional appliances like Twinblock’s to correct an ‘overjet’.
If you have a child that you think may benefit from an orthodontic assessment- please call us on 018107622 and we can book them in for a Complimentary Consultation with one of our specialist orthodontists and if you’re child needs short or long term orthodontics we can put a plan together for you.
