Child Orthodontics

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Child Orthodontics

Prevention

Is that aspect of monitoring the eruption sequence of adult teeth and their arrangement in the jaws. A close eye on erupting teeth will require you coming into the office for every 3-6 months.

Interception

Is when the eruption of adult teeth are not going according to plan and result in misalignment or failure to erupt, hence we need to intervene in order to guide these adult teeth into their correct positions.

1st Phase

Usually about 12 months in duration. The objective will be to position the upper and lower front teeth.

2nd Phase

This phase follows the 1st phase which is usually after a small time period and incorporates all remaining permanent teeth into their correct positions.

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First Orthodontic Check-up

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends children get their first check – up with an Orthodontist either at the first recognition of an orthodontic problem or no later than age 7 when primary teeth are emerging.

By seeing an Orthodontist, teeth and jaw problems can be detected and corrected in good time. Immediate treatment may not be recommended and a growing child may be put on recall for monitoring from time to time as the permanent teeth come through.

Genetics, habits such as thumbsucking, mouth breathing, pacifier or “dummy” sucking, premature loss of baby teeth can contribute to some issues such as:-

The teeth do not meet at all when the mouth is closed and leave just that, “an open space” between the upper and lower teeth making it difficult for kids to bite or chew properly with their mouth closed.

When there are gaps between the teeth due to premature loss of baby teeth. Early orthodontic treatment helps hold space for the succeeding teeth to erupt without being blocked.

When the lower teeth are in front of the top ones. Often a dental and possibly skeletal problem, early detection can help prevent the problem from further escalating.

Occurs when there is not enough room in the jaw to accommodate all the teeth. As a result, in order to fit in the available space, teeth tend to overlap, rotate or simply get blocked out and fail to erupt.

Abnormal overbite is when the top teeth are positioned too far forward in relation to the bottom and can be susceptible to injury especially during contact sport at school. When detected early, functional appliances may be used together with braces to guide growth of the jaw.

If a child’s bite is likely to become more serious and not so easy to treat when older, then early interceptive treatment is an ideal option to create a more favourable environment for teeth to erupt into and prevent the need for a more drastic course of action.

FAQs

WILL MY CHILD’S TEETH STRAIGHTEN OUT AS THEY GROW?
WHAT CAUSED THEM TO BE LIKE THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

WILL MY CHILD’S TEETH STRAIGHTEN OUT AS THEY GROW?

Without intervention, in a few children some crooked teeth may even out on their own BUT if anything, the majority of crooked teeth will only get worse as the rest of the other teeth erupt.

WHAT CAUSED THEM TO BE LIKE THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Prolonged habits such as thumb sucking, tongue sucking, pacifiers, push teeth out. Mouth breathing causes open bites. Genetics and heredity are passed down from parents, if crooked teeth are a family trait then certainly the children are bound to have a similar pattern.

WILL MY CHILD BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR BRACES?
DO I NEED TO BE REFERRED BY A DENTIST TO SEE AN ORTHODONTIST?

WILL MY CHILD BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR BRACES?

Regular brushing and keeping teeth clean is already a manageable responsibility, a few added steps to braces maintenance should not be too complicated for the little ones.

DO I NEED TO BE REFERRED BY A DENTIST TO SEE AN ORTHODONTIST?

Before you visit a specialist, the first port of call for any oral health care is the Dentist who will refer you to a specialist Orthodontist. However, without a referral, one can still receive orthodontic attention.