What Is Early Orthodontic Treatment?
Early orthodontic treatment or also known as early interceptive orthodontic treatment is done a lot during orthodontics by an orthodontist or dentist specializing in orthodontic treatment.
It must be noted that each child from age 7 should be taken for an orthodontic screening to check for issues that may arise that could cause problems in the future to their teeth, nasal, facial, and jaw relationships.
What Is Early Orthodontic Treatment?
Early orthodontic treatment is starting orthodontic treatment when a child is at a very young age in order to stop the issue that is beginning to take place.
This can be as early as age 6 or 7 years old since orthodontists and dentists with special training can recognize when children will develop certain problems in the future. It Is easier to treat those problems later if early treatment is started, for the dentist as well as the child.
Is Early Orthodontic Treatment Necessary?
Early orthodontic treatment is extremely necessary. It can save a lot of time for the children in years of treatment as well as money for the parents. Early orthodontic treatment can correct early jaw problems and incorrect jaw growth while children are still young, preventing surgery that may be needed in the future.
It’s also important to note that Orthodontic treatment does not require all the permanent adult teeth to be in the mouth for braces and orthodontic appliances to be used to correct the jaws and teeth alignment.
What Are Some Early Orthodontic Problems That Are Seen In Young Children?
Most of the children we see in our clinics are cases of dental crowding where the teeth are all bunched up together with no space available.
In these cases the children have teeth growing and erupting in incorrect positions which leads to misaligned dental arches, problems with speech, issues with chewing, getting more dental cavities because of trouble cleaning, and bites that are not favorable for the children.
Another issue that is a serious one that can be addressed early on is the heavy forward growth of the lower jaw seen in a young child. There is often attempts to prevent this lower jaw from growing more forwards (also known as a class III malocclusion) which is often tricky once the child becomes too old therefore it is easier to treat it while children are still young and have growth on their side to correct these problems.
How Is Crowding Treated In Early Orthodontic Treatment?
Dental crowding is one of the most common malocclusion we see in our offices daily.
Dental crowding can easily be treated through a large variety of orthodontic methods such as expansion appliances which expand the jaws, distalization of teeth which means moving teeth backward to make space for the teeth in front of them, and a few more methods that can applied to each specific case as needed.
In our offices, we try to preserve teeth and will only extract teeth in very extreme crowding cases but in other cases, we strive to save all teeth and use them in the dental arches.
Early Orthodontic Treatment Pros and Cons:
When it comes to early orthodontic treatment there are mainly only pros due to the fact that it is a very useful way to correct early problems when it comes to straightening teeth in the long run.
The pros of early orthodontic treatment can be the following: fixing problems before they become too severe, preventing surgery later in life to correct big problems, preventing dental crowding, ensuring correct growth of the teeth and jaws, allowing the correct growth of the maxillary sinuses and facial bones and much more.
The only likely cons of early orthodontic treatment would be the cost of treatment and that it takes some time but with everything in life it takes time but is worth it in the end.
What Are The Benefits To Early Orthodontic Treatment?
There are quite a few benefits to early orthodontic treatment which include and are not limited to: reducing the need for surgery later on, making sure that the teeth are easier to move once all the adult teeth have erupted, shorter treatment time in total, easier alignment and growth of the jaws early on, better breathing and sinus growth from a young age, reduce snoring, reduce joint issues that comes with malocclusions and much more.
Need To Find A Dentist Who Does Early Orthodontic Treatment Near You?
Dr Gray has done numerous courses and has years of training regarding early and late orthodontic treatment. He was trained by orthodontists and has done postgraduate training in orthodontics to handle tough orthodontic cases. Come see us for all your early orthodontic needs!
Visit us at 33 Claribel Road, Windermere, Durban, KZN, South Africa or call our number on 031-201-5134.