The Canadian Dental Association recommends that children visit their family dentist or a paediatric dentist at an early age. This can help detect and prevent problems as well as maintain good dental health. Another important step recommended by the Canadian and American Association of Orthodontists is for your child to visit an orthodontist around the age of 7. Whether an orthodontic problem is detected or not, this will allow the orthodontic specialist to detect any issues that may benefit from early intervention or to monitor growth and development. The fact that orthodontists start seeing children at age 7 may surprise you since orthodontics is usually associated with adolescence. Treatment may not start at this time, but visiting an orthodontist early is important to ensure that your child receives maximum dental health and helps to plan for their future window of time for optimal orthodontic treatment.
Your child may benefit from an early orthodontic examination if any of the following warning signs are present:
- Crowding or misplaced teeth
- Blocked or stuck teeth
- Crossbite or underbite (top teeth biting inside of bottom teeth)
- Jaw shifting
- Difficulty in chewing or biting
- Lost primary teeth early or late
- Finger sucking or other oral habits
In selected instances, early orthodontic treatment may be beneficial and the orthodontists at North Okanagan Orthodontics will recommend a customized treatment plan for your child. Otherwise, our doctors will continue to monitor your child’s dental growth and development with continued complimentary visits.
It is important to know that early treatment does not apply to all orthodontic problems. However, it may help in certain cases. It is also critical to know that patients who receive early interceptive treatment generally still need full braces or Invisalign once all permanent teeth erupt. That said, this early treatment will shorten and simplify future orthodontic treatment and potentially eliminate the need for surgical jaw correction as part of a complex orthodontic treatment plan.
