Early orthodontic treatment, also known as Phase 1 or interceptive orthodontics, begins early for many kids. At age 7 or 8, a child’s mouth is pliable and still growing but if it’s filled with crowded teeth, no matter how cute they look, your kid is set up for some major orthodontics later in life. Addressing obvious problems now with early orthodontic treatment when teeth and jaw are still settling into place gives your child the option to have braces or Invisalign later that is faster, less involved, and more comfortable.
Diagnosing the Need for Early Orthodontics
If your dentist recommends an early visit to the orthodontist, have your child evaluated soon. An exam, 3D digital images, and x-rays will show what must be done with your child’s mixed dentition, if anything, and creates the opportunity to change the development of your child’s mouth and smile.
While some kids are more likely to have bite problems because of genetics, habits can also dramatically alter the development and placement of adult teeth too. Any of the following can be problematic and lead to discomfort and difficulty without intervention:
- Thumb sucking past age 5
- Protruding top or bottom teeth
- Crowded top teeth
- Teeth that do not come together
- Early (age 5) or late (age 13) loss of baby teeth
Common Types of Phase 1 Orthodontic Treatment
The valuable images an orthodontist takes of your child’s mouth, with all their teeth coming and going, show what’s visible and what is housed in the gumline. It’s easy to see the kinds of complications that can arise if crowding or other problems aren’t addressed early.
There are several effective ways to manage developing orthodontic problems through interceptive orthodontics to simplify orthodontic treatment (maybe even Invisalign Teen) by the middle school years. An orthodontist may recommend the following for your child:
- Rapid palatal expander (RPE). This common treatment for crowded mouths takes about nine to 12 months to complete. After a few months of wear, the RPE pushes the top palate apart to create space for tooth eruption. The space created between the front teeth by the expander is closed by several months of wearing brackets and wires. After the early orthodontics are complete, a permanent retainer is placed on the back of the teeth to hold everything in place until full braces can be placed in the tween or teen years.
- MARA appliance. This appliance is fixed and moves the patient’s lower jaw forward so top and bottom teeth easily meet. The MARA appliance is intended to correct severe overbites and ideally eliminate the need for oral surgery. Kids with narrow smiles or protruding teeth can have these problems corrected in a little over a year, followed by conventional braces treatment.
Early Orthodontic Treatment Means a Healthier Smile
Your child’s teeth are not in their final places after early orthodontic treatment, but your orthodontist already has a plan for what happens when their baby teeth are all gone. Phase 2 usually begins between ages 11 and 13 and involves conventional braces on top and bottom teeth and the final road to a straight, healthy smile. Learn more from Lawrenceville Orthodontists.