Orthodontics for Kids
“Early Orthodontic Treatment for Younger Children”
Early assessment is best. If you are concerned about the development of your children’s teeth it is best not to wait.
Having an early orthodontic assessment, anywhere from age 8 to 9, can detect orthodontic problems when your child is still young. If necessary, the appropriate treatment can help prevent more complex and expensive orthodontic problems from developing in the future. There are some treatments which can make a big difference to the outcome of the of a growing child.
Removable Plates
Our treatment philosophy is to minimize the need for teeth extractions. We can achieve this by using appliances such as a removable “orthodontic plate” to expand and develop the jaws to create space for the teeth. The best time to use these appliances is when the child is actively growing.
Functional Appliances
Sometimes we can use Functional appliances to correct misaligned bites. Functional appliances can utilize the forces from the muscles of the face to correct a dental malocclusion.
For example if a child has a large overjet, a deep overbite, or even a reverse overjet, functional appliance may be used to position the lower jaw into the correct position while the child is growing. The functional appliance activates the muscles of the face & jaw, which gently and gradually corrects the bite.
Correction of Myofunctional Habits
If young child has incorrect myofunctional habits this can lead to a disruption in the development of the mouth. This can lead to tongue thrusts, open bites and underdevelopment of the dental arches.
The interaction between orofacial growth and muscle activity starts early in development. The function of suction, eating, swallowing and nasal breathing in young kids play an important role in stimulating facial growth.
Early loss of teeth
If you child has lost a tooth early then this can lead to future crowding and dental malocclusions. Depending on the stage of growth, it is best to have your child assessed by us. This is particularly important if the early loss of a tooth is due to an accident or extraction due to dental decay.
Sometimes we simply need to monitor the patient. Other times it may be beneficial to place a space maintainer to hold the room while the adult tooth is growing.
Delayed Eruption OR Missing Teeth
The sequence of teeth eruption is important. Sometimes teeth are delayed in coming into the mouth because there is inadequate space or because there may be a developmental concern preventing the tooth from growing correctly. This could be from an interference, such as cyst or extra supernumerary tooth, the tooth in question could be growing in the wrong direction or even be missing.
If you are ever concerned, you should seek our advise. It is best to identify this early to prevent a more complex problem occurring.