kids braces – why and when

Why and When

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic screening no later than age 7.

Things have changed since you were growing up and going to the orthodontist probably wasn’t mentioned until you had all your permanent teeth(12 to 13 years). When you finally went to the orthodontist you might have had teeth extracted because there was not enough room for all of them or may have had to wear braces for a long period of time. Treatment usually starts later but accurate timing is essential. This is possible only if the child is already under the expert’s care and observation. Since girls mature earlier, treatment may start at the age of 8 to 10 years while a boy may be treated at the age of 10 to 11 years or even later.

Stitch in time saves 32

Why do you need ‘Early Orthodontic’ intervention?

There is a better way, called ‘Early Treatment’ and Dr. Milind has been using it for years. Latest techniques and modern Orthodontic Appliances have made it even easier to treat younger patients, with safe and painless growth modifying appliances.

Children can benefit enormously from an early phase of treatment, while they are growing actively during early growth spurts. During this period the children have mixed dentition (few milk teeth as well as some permanent teeth present in the mouth).

Special appliances can be used at this stage to influence the growth relationship of the jaws themselves. (This is not possible when all the permanent teeth have already erupted into the mouth.)
 Prevention is better than cure.

Some things to look out for, where Early Treatment is required- Indicated :

Overbite – upper front teeth overlap lower teeth

Deepbite – upper front teeth cover up lower teeth when biting down

Underbite – lower front teeth overlap upper teeth

Openbite – upper and lower teeth do not come together when
 biting down

Spacing – gaps between the teeth

Protruding Front Teeth – upper front teeth inclined forward abnormally

Crossbite – lower teeth or tooth is on the inside of the upper teeth

Crowding – crowding is when you see twist and turns of the teeth or teeth may come in front of or back of other teeth.

Advantages of Early Treatment (also called as Phase I treatment)

In a large number of patients a successful Phase I treatment ensures that all permanent teeth get accommodated and more often there is no need to extract permanent teeth at a later stage.

Front teeth that protrude forward are likely to get injured leading to severe dental procedures. (Broken/chipped teeth may require specialized treatment i.e. root canal treatment). Early orthodontic treatment corrects such teeth rapidly thereby prevents permanent damage.

Patient gets rid of his buck-toothed, bunny-rabbit appearance. This tremendous facial improvement is always accompanied by wonderful personality change. Thus, there is not only a dental but also a mental advantage too. In mouths where teeth are unable to find room, they may remain trapped inside the jaws; when discovered, these teeth require specialized treatment. These conditions go unnoticed if you wait till 12 years of age.