Interceptive Early Treatment in St. Louis
Although orthodontic treatment can be used to enhance a smile at any age, both Olive Orthodontics and the American Association of Orthodontists recommend that there's an optimal time to start a treatment: between the age of 7 and 9 years.
Identifying any looming problems early on can be advantageous in terms of ensuring the proper growth and development of your child's teeth and jaws. By the age of 7 years, your child will likely have a mixture of baby and adult teeth, with the molars erupting to establish the back bite.
This presents a unique opportunity for the orthodontist to evaluate tooth relationships and spot any unusual developments. Early evaluation allows for the timely detection of dental problems and prudent intervention to facilitate proper development and prevent serious problems.
The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that your child visits an orthodontist if you notice any of the following items:
- Mouth breathing
- Early or delayed loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty biting or chewing
- Thumb sucking or other bad oral habits
- Clenching or grinding
- Protruding teeth
- Misplaced, crowded, or blocked-out teeth
- Facial imbalance or asymmetry
- Biting the cheek
- Teeth that meet abnormally or don't meet at all - malocclusions
- Difficulty with speech
- Popping, protruding, or recessed jaws
Benefits of early treatment
Early treatment is a product of early evaluation and detection of problems in your child's mouth. This offers several benefits, including:
- Reduced treatment time with orthodontic devices (like braces) if they're necessary
- Influencing jaw growth for facial symmetry
- Reducing the risk of crowded teeth
- Space preservation for unerupted teeth
- Careful monitoring and tracking of your child's oral development if early treatment is not necessary
- Beautiful smile and improved self-esteem and confidence
If the orthodontist determines that no intervention is necessary, you can use subsequent visits to carefully monitor the growth and development of your child's teeth, and initiate treatment when the time is ideal. Visiting Olive Orthodontics will give you peace of mind when you're uncertain about a potential issue or stage of development.
Any problems with a child's dental development will not only affect their smile but also how they chew and clean their teeth. Please visit Olive Orthodontics to determine whether your child needs early treatment for a healthier mouth and smile.
We're Here to Help You
If you have any questions regarding the services we provide, please call our office at (314) 274-1477.
