The American Dental Association recommends that a child  first visit the family dentist between the ages 6 to 12 months, while the child's baby teeth are erupting. It is an excellent time to lay the foundation for a lifetime of good dental habits. The first dental appointment should focus good oral hygiene, and nutritional counseling, hopefully creating a positive relationship to the dentist office as a foundation of good health practices.

EARLY ORTHODONTIC SCREENING EXAM

As soon as a orthodontic  problem is noted, either a tooth eruption problem or jaw bone growth problem, it is probably a good idea to get an orthodontic consult. This could be as young as 2 years old when the primary teeth have come in. The exam has always been free and the siblings as well.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS MAY INDICATE NEED FOR EXAM

      Biting into the roof of the mouth, or the cheek

     Crowding, overlapping or blocked out teeth

     Difficulty in chewing or biting

     Early or late loss of teeth

     Facial imbalance

     Finger sucking or other oral habits

     Grinding or clenching of the teeth while sleeping

     Jaws that do not match each other or that protrude or retrude.

     Mouth breathing exclusively during sleep

     Pronunciation problems

     Protruding or "buck" teeth

The American Association of Orthodontists  (AAO) recommends that all children receive an orthodontic screening by age 7. "Permanent teeth generally begin to come in at age 6 or 7. It is at this point that orthodontic problems become apparent.

At this age the first molars are in contact with each other, and the orthodontist can evaluate the posterior bite, and  because the incisors are coming in we can evaluate the overjet and overbite in the front of the mouth. For the great majority of kids no early treatment is needed, to the benefit of the parent's peace of mind, just to know everything is going to be fine.

Because bones are still growing, there are treatment modalities, that are possible at age 6 or 7, that are impossible at age 11 or 12, so  it's an ideal time to evaluate a child. Then we can determine what orthodontic treatment, if any, may be needed either now or in the future.

BENEFITS OF EARLY TREATMENT

      Correct harmful habits

     Harmonize the width of the dental arches

     Helps improve some speech problems    

     Improve esthetics and self-esteem

     Influence jaw growth in a positive manner

     Lower risk of trauma to protruded incisors

     Preserves existing space or increases space by space regaining

     Reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth

     Simplify and shorten treatment time for later corrective orthodontics

Making Braces Cool

To make braces more acceptable and fun for young people, manufacturers have made brightly colored elastics. These are the tiny rubber bands that hold the wires to the braces. Children can choose elastics with their school colors or a holiday color scheme, such as orange and black for Halloween.

Choosing the color of the elastics allows patients to feel that they are more involved in their treatment.

Still Require Adaptation

Braces today tend to be less uncomfortable and less visible than they used to be. But they still take some getting used to. Food can get caught around brackets and in wires, and brushing and flossing can take more time. After adjustments sometimes the teeth may be a little sore. Tooth discomfort can be controlled by taking a pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Tylenol and others) or aspirin if necessary. The use of lighter and more flexible wires has greatly lessened the amount of soreness or discomfort during treatment.

Orthodontic treatment in young children is known as interceptive orthodontics. Intervention may begin as early as age 6 or 7. At this age, teeth are still developing. The jaw is still growing. That means certain conditions, such as crowding, may be easier to address.

Before permanent teeth have come in, it may be possible to help teeth to erupt (emerge through the gums) into better positions. It's common, for example, for the dental arch to be too small to fit all of the teeth. A few decades ago, the solution for crowding was almost always to extract some of the permanent teeth to make space. Then fixed braces were used to position the teeth properly.

Early intervention takes advantage of the fact that a child's jaw is still growing. For example, a device called a palatal expander may be used to expand the child's upper dental arch. Once the arch is the proper size, there's a better chance that the adult teeth will emerge in better position. Sometimes teeth still may be crowded after all of them have erupted. In such cases, some permanent teeth may still have to be extracted to make room to align the teeth properly.

So-called early treatment also may be useful when the dental arches and jaws are not in the correct position. Functional appliances may fix or improve these problems. More treatment usually is needed later on, but it may be shorter and less involved.

It is important to note that children who receive interceptive orthodontics generally still need braces or other orthodontic appliances later. However, this early treatment may shorten and simplify future treatment in selected cases.  This is commonly known as two-phase treatment.

It is important to note that early treatment does not apply to all orthodontic problems. The reason is at this point, we do not know anything about : the remaining teeth that have yet to come in, or what the future growth characteristics will be.  However, it may help in certain cases.

BENEFITS OF INTERCEPTIVE ORTHODONTICS

Avoiding injury or loss of protruding  front teeth

Coordination the extraction of baby teeth with family dentist

Correcting alignment of teeth

Correcting crossbite, night time grinding of teeth, tooth interference, and functional shift

Eliminating harmful habits: thumb, tongue thrust, or lip habit

Enhancing speech development

Evaluation of breathing and breathing habits that adversely affect growth

Improving self-image