EARLY ORTHODONTIC EVALUATION
While most orthodontic treatment doesn’t commence until a child is older or entering adolescence, it is a good idea for children as young as 7 to undergo an orthodontic evaluation. An early orthodontic evaluation may reveal emerging problems with the child’s bite and jaw development.
While some problems may be congenital or genetic, others can be caused by excessive thumb-sucking, lip-sucking, mouth breathing, or early loss of teeth due to decay. In some cases, “interceptive/early/phase 1” orthodontic treatment might be necessary to improve the chances of future treatment to be successful.
Benefits of an orthodontic intervention done at an early age
- To favorably influence jaw growth
- To balance the width of the dental arches
- To improve eruption patterns
- To lower the risk of trauma to protrusive upper incisors
- To correct oral habits
- To improve esthetics and self-esteem
- To simplify and/or decrease the duration of a subsequent corrective orthodontic treatment
- To minimize the possibility to see permanent teeth become impacted
- To improve certain speech problems
- To preserve or recuperate the space necessary for the eruption of permanent teeth