While crowded or misaligned primary teeth will eventually be replaced, there are many benefits to early identification and intervention when it comes to orthodontic issues. Here, our Smile Town Burnaby dentists walk you through the benefits of interceptive orthodontics.
Orthodontic intervention used to usually happen between the ages of 12 and 14, when most of a child's permanent teeth had emerged.
In recent years, however, modern orthodontic thinking advocates for orthodontic intervention beginning between the ages of 7 and 11.
This is often called interceptive orthodontics.
Interceptive Orthodontics?
Interceptive orthodontics is the identification of and intervention in orthodontic issues in their earliest stages.
This practice allows orthodontists to take advantage of the fact that younger children's mouths are continuing to grown and change in order to avoid procedures like the removal of permanent teeth to make room in the mouth.
Early Identification
By monitoring the way your child's primary teeth sit in their mouth and the way their permanent teeth begin to emerge, you, your dentist, and your child's orthodontist can take preventative measures.
When you identify a potential problem in your child's teeth, you should ask your child's dentist about their assessment and then visit an orthodontist for an evaluation.
Often, the verdict will be that the problem needs to be monitored, but that no early intervention is required.
Sometimes, though, a child may need orthodontic treatment on their primary teeth.
Early Orthodontic Interventions
To address issues in your child's oral development, an orthodontist may recommend any number of dental appliances such as braces, elastics, or trays.
These interventions often address issues like creating space for permanent teeth, fixing issues caused by harmful habits like thumb-sucking and correcting overbites, underbites, and crossbites.
Often Children Will Need Braces, Even After These Early Interventions
Sometimes these early interventions eliminate the need for braces or other dental appliances later on, but usually they set the stage for longer-term orthodontic treatment.
Early orthodontic intervention prepares the mouth for more successful and sometimes even quicker treatment down the road.