Orthodontics for Children – What to Know, and When to Start
Often times when we think about orthodontic treatment, the focus is either on teenagers or adults. While it’s important to understand that full orthodontic treatment shouldn’t be performed on a child if they are too young, there are a host of reasons to consider orthodontics for your child.
There are several ‘warning signs’ when you should consider early treatment. A few of these warning signs include:
- Thumb sucking
- Teeth that touch abnormally or not at all
- Early loss or late loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty chewing
- Jaws or teeth that seem out of proportion
- Jaws that make sounds
- Difficulty breathing
- Crooked or misplaced teeth
Even if your child is not displaying any of the above issues, it is a good idea to bring them in from the age of 7 and up. At Tru North Orthodontics, we rarely recommend that treatment is started until the child is at least 7 years old. With that in mind, it certainly doesn’t mean that treatment will be necessary at that time. However, if there are any of the above issues, there are plenty of benefits to early orthodontic treatment.
Why Early Treatment is Important
Bringing your child in for a consultation early can have many benefits. It develops a relationship between the child and their orthodontist. We pride ourselves in our friendly and supportive environment. We truly view our patients as family and we think they feel the same way! Over the years we have found that most of our patients are begging their parents to come back and visit us because their visits with us are so fun!
Coming in at the age of 7 is a great way of being proactive with your child’s health. Not only will we be able to put together an orthodontic treatment plan if necessary, but if there is no treatment indicated, we are able to monitor any potential problems that may exist. Most importantly, we will ensure that we are able to time their treatment to minimize additional work and costs incurred by not timing treatment properly.
Setting your child up for a consultation can ensure that they’ll have a healthy and happy smile for many years to come. The earlier we’re able to identify any underlying skeletal or dental issues, the less risk there will be of more work needed in the future. If your child is 7 years old, or if you are curious about whether orthodontics may be beneficial for your child, set up a consultation soon and have our team of experts ensure that you and your child mouth are set up for success for years to come.