Determining the Optimal Age for Kids' Orthodontic Treatment

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The time for kids to get orthodontics depends on the unique problems he or she has. Many children are getting braces at a younger age than they did 25 years ago. This is due to the latest research on orthodontic treatments. When a dentist suspects future trouble with adult teeth in a young patient, he or she will be referred to an orthodontist. This could be around the child’s seventh birthday because the baby teeth are all in and the adult teeth are starting to move. This gives the orthodontist a clear picture of what will happen. During your initial consultation with our orthodontist, we will look for two main things. One is overcrowding of teeth and the other is misalignment. An overbite means the top jaw is bigger than the lower jaw and an under bite means the bottom jaw is bigger than the top jaw. The main causes of jaw problems are thumb sucking, accidents and losing baby teeth too soon. The problem could also be inherited. This means if someone in your family had braces, there is a good chance you or your Pediatric dentists are trained specifically to understand how adult teeth should grow in for the best dental health. If either of these dentists sees a problem, they suggest that you see an orthodontist. There is no specific age for the first orthodontist visit. Children as young as six years may need an orthodontist to check their bite. Others have their first visit at 10 years and some only see an orthodontist when they are teenagers. Many children visit the orthodontist when they start losing their baby teeth and the adult teeth start to grow. This is when problems such as overbite and under bite and overcrowding can start to be seen. Just because you visit our orthodontist does not mean your child will immediately start wearing braces. It just means we can see the problems early and determine the best time to start treatment as well as what the best treatment will

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