We have many children who come to our clinic to have one of our Orthodontists look at their teeth. Why is this a smart thing to do and what is the right age? Simply put, the very best age is 8, as recommended by both the Canadian and American Association of Orthodontists.
On the first complementary visit at The Brace Space, patients will find out one of three things.
1) There may be no need for treatment recognized at the current time.
2) Treatment may be needed in the future, and this means that the child will be monitored by the clinic, while the teeth and jaw continue to change as they grow.
3) A problem is observed and the child would benefit from early treatment.
This is the case with Oliver. He is 8, the age when children should first see their Orthodontist and he fits option 3. Oliver has an underbite due to a prominent lower jaw that is also asymmetric. For a normal bite the top teeth are in front of the bottom teeth, but for him, they are not. His chin is to the left and his top and bottom centrelines don’t match up. He is a surgical case, meaning his bite discrepancy is severe enough that it often requires surgery for a full correction. If not corrected, his teeth will wear. However, by using interceptive treatment, we are often successful at beating surgery with timely intervention.
Dr. Davidson has already started Oliver’s treatment, because once he reaches his mid teen years this intervention is no longer an option for him or any child with this bite.
If you are concerned about the bite of your child, or yourself for that matter, contact us at The Brace Space. Consultations are free and no referral is needed. If your child is being considered for this early treatment, follow Oliver’s journey on upcoming blog posts and see what is being done to help with this correction.
