Interceptive Treatment

Interceptive Treatment for Children

Orthodontics for Children

While there is no exact age for children to begin orthodontic treatment, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends visiting the orthodontist around age seven

By this age, most children have a mix of baby teeth and adult teeth, making it easier for the orthodontist to diagnose and correct tooth and jaw problems sooner and without surgery.

  • Interceptive Treatment 1

Interceptive Treatment for Children

  • Correct and guide the growth of your child’s jaw to help the permanent teeth come in straight
  • Regulate the width of the upper and lower arches
  • Create more space for crowded teeth
  • Avoid the need for permanent teeth extractions later in life
  • Correct thumb sucking and help improve minor speech problems

For parents, it’s not always easy to know if your child may need orthodontic treatment.

Here are a few things to look for that may mean your child needs to see an orthodontist:

  • Correct and guideEarly or late loss of baby teeth
  • A hard time chewing or biting food
  • Mouth breathing
  • Finger or thumb sucking
  • Crowded, misplaced, or blocked teeth
  • Jaws that pop or make sounds when opening and closing
  • Teeth that come together abnormally, or do not come together at all
  • Jaws and teeth that are not proportionate to the rest of the face
  • Crowded front teeth around age seven or eight

Is interceptive treatment too early

Parents sometimes get confused when they visit more than one office and get multiple opinions.  They might be ready to start treatment in one office and too early to start in another office.  There is no 100% right or wrong in both options, but I do believe that in some situations interceptive treatment is required or at least provides a great advantage over waiting”.  Examples are conditions below:

  • Unilateral  posterior crossbite:  leaving it uncorrected will result in asymmetrical facial growth
  • Severe Thumb sucking habits
  • Severe constriction of the maxilla (narrow maxilla), with or without crossbite

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