Lack of Knowledge about right Age of orthodontic treatment
Only an Orthodontist has the training, the experience, and the treatment options to give you your best smile.“
Lack of Knowledge about right Age of orthodontic treatment
Is There a Benefit to Early Treatment?
Timing is everything – even when it comes to your child’s orthodontic treatment. “Early” treatment, also called “interceptive” treatment, means treatment that is performed while some baby teeth are still present.
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that your child’s first check-up with an orthodontist be performed when an orthodontic problem is first recognized, but no later than age 7. Why age 7? By then, your child has enough permanent teeth for an orthodontist to evaluate the developing teeth and the jaws, which in turn can provide a wealth of information.
There are generally three outcomes of an initial check-up:
1. No treatment is expected to be necessary.
2. Treatment may be needed in the future, so the child will be followed periodically while the face and jaws continue to grow.
3. There is a problem that lends itself to early treatment.
The kinds of problems orthodontists may recommend treating while a child still has some baby teeth include:
• Underbites – when the lower front teeth are ahead of the upper front teeth
• Crossbites – when the jaw shifts to one side
• Very crowded teeth
• Excessively spaced teeth
• Extra or missing teeth
• Teeth that meet abnormally, or don’t meet at all
• Thumb or finger sucking that is affecting the teeth or jaw growth
The bottom line is that some orthodontic problems may be easier to correct if they are found and treated early. Waiting until all the permanent teeth have come in, or until facial growth is nearly complete, may make correction of some problems more difficult.
To give your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile, visit a certified experienced Orthodontist instead of asking your General dentist. Your Orthodontist can best answer your queries about your Child’s teeth and alert you to potential problems and recommend treatment when it is most appropriate for your child.
Remember, timing is everything.
Braces are meant for any age
You have a right to change your bad smile into a beautiful one at any age
Did you ever look in a mirror and think to yourself, “Sure wish I could have had braces when I was a kid”? You can’t go back in time, but you can still get the healthy, beautiful smile you’ve always wished was yours. It’s not too late. Orthodontic treatment can be as successful for adults as it is for kids.
Whether you’re 8 or 80, it’s the same process that straightens teeth. Adults have thicker bone than children, so treatment may take a little longer, but age does not keep teeth from moving.
Adults can have complicated cases, though, for a variety of reasons. They may have fillings, missing teeth, misshapen or worn teeth, or other dental disease. These are conditions well within your orthodontist’s realm of treatment experience. This is just one reason it’s so important to make sure you are being treated by orthodontist. Your orthodontist has years of formal education in orthodontics after graduating from dental school.
There has been a revolution in braces – much of it driven by adults who want straight teeth, but want to be inconspicuous about their treatment. Today’s options include tooth-colored braces, braces that go behind the teeth, and braces that aren’t braces at all, but are a series of plastic-like trays (“aligners”) that move teeth a little at a time.
It’s a comparatively small investment of time that pays big dividends in improved dental health, better function (biting, chewing), the ability to more easily keep your teeth clean, and higher self-confidence.
It’s so heart-warming to witness the first time an adult patient sees his/her new smile. Sometimes there are tears through smiles, and sometimes pronouncements of outright joy. The only regret expressed is that this step was not taken sooner.
The opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile has not passed you by. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life hiding your smile. Just because you didn’t have orthodontic treatment when you were a youngster doesn’t prevent you from doing something about it now. Your age doesn’t matter. You can have the smile you’ve always wanted. It starts with consulting an orthodontist.
