Early Treatment

As a parent, you want the best for your child. That includes healthy teeth and a great smile. At Bridgham Barr Orthodontics, our goal is to treat your children as if they were our own, providing them with the best possible orthodontic care in a relaxed, friendly environment.

What is the right age for Orthodontics?

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children receive an orthodontic examination at age 7, and even earlier if a problem is recognized by the family or pediatric dentist. Permanent teeth start coming in by the age of 6 and at this point orthodontic problems can become apparent. The timing of orthodontic treatment is extremely important, particularly with our younger patients.

Early diagnosis and treatment can help guide facial growth and tooth eruption, and prevent more serious future problems. Our goal is to reduce treatment time in full braces and to provide the best and most stable results possible. Since no two patients are alike, there is not a specific age that is best to begin treatment.

What are the benefits of an early evaluation?

There are a number of benefits to beginning treatment at an early stage while baby teeth are still present. An early evaluation can benefit your child in a variety of ways including:

• Providing timely detection of problems, such as tooth impaction, severe crowding, or improper jaw growth
• Guiding growth and development to avoid more invasive, costly treatments in the future
• Greater opportunity for more effective and stable long term treatment
• Close monitoring of tooth movement and jaw growth

What are the advantages of interceptive treatment?

Interceptive treatment can help your child’s development in a number of ways including the following:

• Create room for crowded, erupting teeth
• Create facial harmony by influencing jaw growth
• Correct harmful oral habits, such as thumb sucking
• Reduce the risk of trauma to protruding front teeth
• Preserving space for unerupted teeth
• Reduce the need for tooth extractions
• Reduce treatment time with full braces
• Improve the appearance and self-esteem of your child
• Identify grinding which can prematurely wear down teeth

What types of problems can be identified early?

Image courtesy of American Association of Orthodontists