The Importance Of Early Orthodontic Evaluations

THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORTHODONTISTS recommends that children first visit the orthodontist at age seven—and we wholeheartedly agree! Even though treatment may not start that young, an early examination allows us to evaluate dental development and determine when and if orthodontic treatment is necessary.

One way to determine if a child needs our help is to look for bite and alignment problems.

Some Of The Problems We Look For Include:

1. Buck Teeth. Do the upper front teeth stick too far out?

2. Deep Bite. Do the upper teeth cover the lower teeth?

3. Underbite. Do the upper teeth fit inside the arch of the lower teeth?

4. Open Bite. Do only the back teeth touch when biting down?

5. Crowded or overlapped teeth. Do the teeth have too much or too little space?

6. Misaligned front teeth. Do the spaces between the upper two front teeth and lower two front teeth not line up?

7. Crossbite. Do the upper teeth fit inside the lower teeth?

Some Issues May Require Immediate Attention

If a child has any of the following problems, treatment may be necessary before the age of seven.

• Speech problems
• Difficulty chewing
• Abnormal bite development
• Clicking or popping in the jaw
• Permanent teeth that are coming in crowded or overlapped
• A thumb sucking problem
• A teeth grinding problem
• Issues biting cheeks or biting into the roof of the mouth

There Are Benefits To Early Treatment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRuBaX-tHho

If you’re one of our valued patients, we may have been preaching to the choir with this post, which is great—we love to hear that our patients are informed!

Please Share This Important Information

Now, will you help us get the word out? Please share this post with the people you care about—especially those with children. Together, we can help others start early on the path to beautiful, healthy smiles!

Thank you for helping us make a difference!