Early Orthodontic Treatment

Early orthodontic treatment is a way for orthodontists to intervene while the child is developing rather than attempting to solve a problem long after it has cemented. These proactive strategies can ultimately save families thousands of dollars and endless hours in dental appointments over the course of a patient’s childhood and adolescence. At Orthodontic Specialists, with locations in East Bradenton, West Bradenton, and Parrish, FL, you’ll work with a family-owned practice with the skills and expertise to step in at the right time.

What Is Interceptive Treatment?

Interceptive or early treatment refers to treatments that are administered by dental professionals before the child has lost all of their baby teeth. The guidelines issued by the American Association of Orthodontists recommend that children see an orthodontist as soon as there’s an orthodontic issue. For instance, maybe you notice that your child has an underbite, where their lower teeth stick out past their upper teeth. The sooner parents come in for a standard evaluation for orthodontic treatment, the easier it is to plan everything from budget to schedule.

However, regardless of whether there’s a noticeable issue, children should see an orthodontist before they reach the age of seven. This is because the child will have enough adult teeth for an orthodontist to piece together the big picture of how their teeth and jaw will impact their oral health. An experienced orthodontist will be able to catch anomalies in even the youngest child so they can be quickly corrected.

The most common type of orthodontic treatment, whether the issue was caused by an accident, disease, or abnormal growth patterns, is an appliance that can be used to reposition the jaw, hold the teeth in place, or shift them into the appropriate positions. Dental technology and research have advanced considerably over the years. You may be surprised at the variety of instruments available and their impressive success rates. In some cases, the orthodontist may need to remove one or more baby teeth so they can give the adult teeth the chance to grow correctly.

How Does the Orthodontist Determine My Child’s Treatment Options?

While orthodontists can intervene in an array of orthodontic issues, unfortunately, it isn’t possible for all. When the orthodontist evaluates your child, you can expect one of the following results:

• No treatment: Some children have teeth, gums, and jaws that develop exactly as they should. By the age of seven, the orthodontist should have a good idea of whether your child will need treatment in the future, and they may declare the patient to be in good shape.
• Future treatment: Some kids will need treatment in the future based on how their faces and jaws grow. These patterns can sometimes be unpredictable, and the orthodontist may need to wait to see how external and internal factors play out over time. For instance, if the child sucks their thumb and it impacts the growth of their teeth, the parent may be able to correct the problem by replacing thumb-sucking with a different coping mechanism.
• Immediate treatment: The orthodontist is ultimately looking for ways to address the root cause of the problem when they evaluate the patient. This means looking at more than just whether teeth are coming in straight. The orthodontist will look at everything from how the jaw bone is shifting to whether there’s enough space to fit the back molars and wisdom teeth.

There is no guarantee that early treatment will eliminate the need for future treatment, and in some cases, the patient may need another round of treatment after their permanent teeth come in. However, even if additional treatment is needed, the goal is to ensure that children ultimately undergo less treatment overall than if the orthodontist left the mouth as is.

What Kinds of Problems Will the Orthodontist Look for?

When a child has their baby teeth, an orthodontist will look for signs regarding:

• Spacing: teeth spaced apart are not necessarily a cause for concern. The teeth may collectively come together as the child grows without risking the child’s overall oral health. However, if the child has excessively spaced teeth, the taps can increase their odds of larger problems down the line.
• Bites: An underbite and crossbite can impact the child’s smile alongside their chewing and speech patterns. If the jaw shifts to one side or the other or the lower teeth fit outside of the upper teeth, the orthodontist will identify what’s causing the issue before determining how to move forward.
• Teeth: If the teeth are crowded or the numbers are off (either because there are too many or too few), an orthodontist will look for ways to correct the child’s development. Whether your child’s teeth don’t meet together or they’re all clustered in one place, an orthodontist will do what they can to fix it before they need to wear braces for a few years.

Find Early Orthodontic Treatment in Bradenton, FL

If you have questions about the efficacy of early orthodontic treatment, the Office of Orthodontic Specialists can tell you more about the appliances and devices used to correct these issues. With locations in East Bradenton, West Bradenton, and Parrish, FL, our staff will walk you through the most common issues so you can understand how your child’s oral health will change over their childhood and adolescence.