Straight Teeth in Less Time
Reasons A Child Might Need Braces Early
Lois Murray
You might be surprised as a parent when you take your child to the dentist at age seven or eight, only to hear the suggestion to begin orthodontic work. Many people associate braces and other orthodontics with teenage or early adult development.
However, there are several good reasons why younger children might need to begin orthodontic treatment sooner rather than later. Here are a few reasons why your dentist might recommend it.
Primary Teeth Positioning Will Cause Crowding
As your child loses primary teeth, permanent teeth move in to take their place. Permanent teeth are much larger than baby teeth, which can make them seem gigantic in the mouth of a small child. These teeth remain the same size as the child's head and jaw grow, allowing for more space in due time.
However, sometimes primary teeth do not allow for enough space for the adult teeth to grow in, forcing a tooth to poke toward the front or back of the mouth or to emerge almost sideways instead of at a more downward angle. In these cases, your dentist might hope to pull some of the primary teeth or place spacers that help to make room for the permanent teeth to grow straight.
Delicate Features with Large Tooth Growth
A full set of X-rays can give a dentist a good idea of how teeth might begin to appear over the next few years. if your child has a slighter bone structure and small face, the size of the adult teeth themselves can be a problem. Orthodontics help to make space for these teeth by helping to expand the shape of the mouth. Since childrens' mouths are still growing rapidly. early intervention can be less painful and take less time than waiting until later in adolescence.
Poor Shaping of the Mouth
A variety of factors can affect the overall shape of your child's mouth and jaw position. Some children might lose teeth early in life due to infection or accidents. Orthodontics help preserve the space left by the vacant tooth, making it easier for an adult tooth to fill the space or to place an implant later in life. Thumb sucking or pacifier use into preschool years can also affect how the mouth is shaped and warrant intervention before bone growth slows down.
Some children are born with underbites, severe overbites, or mismatched jaw closer where the teeth slide side to side. Changing the jaw shape can be simpler when a person is younger, eliminating the need for more traumatic practices later in life, such as breaking or resetting the jaw, or wearing headgear for extended periods of time.
For more information, contact a cosmetic dentist like Sacrey & Sacrey Dentistry.
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I had braces when I was a kid. Back then, you had to wear those metal wires and rubber bands for what seemed like forever. When I saw that my child’s teeth were going to be crooked like mine, I was dreading the years of braces and orthodontist appointments and limited diets that I saw stretching ahead of us. I was pleased to find out that braces today are very different from braces when I was a kid. They don’t need to be worn for nearly as long, and they aren’t as intrusive, either. My daughter got braces that can barely be seen, and she can remove them when she eats, so she doesn’t have to give up her favorite foods. I was so impressed that I started a blog to talk about modern day tooth straightening techniques. Braces have come a long way.