When is the soonest my child can receive orthodontic treatment? As a general rule, as soon as your child starts growing permanent teeth. But every child is different so this can mean different ages. It also depends on the need – their dental health or concern.
If your child has overlapping or crooked teeth, it is a wise idea to bring your child to an orthodontist early for check-ups. Their teeth are easier to straighten while their face and jaw is not completely developed yet. In some cases, it will be quite impossible once the jaw is full grown. And you can achieve better results if treatment was started early.
During your child’s first visit, the orthodontist will examine their teeth for crowding, extra, missing, crooked, overlapping, gaps and the growth of the face. They will also ask about habits that interfere with the normal growth of teeth such as sucking and tongue-thrusting. These bad habits can affect tooth alignment as well as facial appearance.
If in the initial check up, your child’s teeth are okay and there is no need for orthodontic devices, your orthodontist will still schedule folow up check ups to monitor the development of their teeth, jaws and face to ensure that they are growing normally and that there are no signs of any problem. If there is, it can be fixed early.
With the use of braces and retainers, it can give your child a beautiful smile and spare them from discomfort, embarassment and social problems.
