Early Orthodontic Treatment

 

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an Orthodontic screening no later than age 7. 
 

        The usual policy of wait and watch until all permanent teeth come into the mouth (12 to 13 years), often results in a sacrifice of four healthy permanent teeth as well as compromised and camouflaged late Orthodontic treatment. This can be avoided by starting treatment at the right time. Ideally, a child must be brought in for an Orthodontic check up when  he/she  is 7 - 8 years old. (Sometimes even earlier in case of harmful habits such as thumb/finger/lip sucking or nail biting or major facial defects such as hare-lip or cleft lip-palate). Active Orthodontic treatment usually starts later and the child is kept under observation till the time is right. 

     
Early Orthodontic intervention is needed in two circumstances :-

1.To correct disproportionate jaw growth - When either the upper or lower jaw is growing too much or too little, or in the wrong direction, Orthodontic plates can be given to redirect growth. These plates are effective only in actively growing children.

2.To correct habits like thumb sucking, mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, nail biting etc. as these habits can apply unfavorable forces in teeth and make them either more prominent or crooked. In such situations habit breaking appliances are given as soon as possible.

Advantages of Early treatment (also called as Phase I treatment)

        In a large number of patients a successful Phase I treatment ensures that all permanent teeth get accommodated and more often there is no need to extract permanent teeth at a later stage. 

 

        Front teeth that protrude forward are likely to get injured leading to several dental procedures, for example broken / chipped teeth may require specialized treatment i.e. root canal treatment. Early Orthodontic treatment corrects such teeth rapidly thereby preventing permanent damage.

 

         When a patient gets rid of his buck-toothed, bunny-rabbit appearance, it is a tremendous facial improvement and is always accompanied by wonderful personality changes. Thus, there is not only a dental but also a mental advantage. In mouths where teeth are unable to find room they may remain trapped inside the jaws; when discovered, these teeth require specialized treatment. These conditions go unnoticed if you wait till 12 years of age to see an Orthodontist