If your child is having oral health problems, and needs retainers or treatment for a malocclusion, then you probably need to visit a dentist or orthodontist. But, what do you say? What do you do? Here’s what.
Why Bother With Orthodontics
Roughly 40 percent of patients that walk into an orthodontist find that they can benefit from some kind of early treatment. Early orthodontic treatment will usually prevent a serious problem from developing later on in life. And, even if it does develop, it can be treated more easily.
Early treatment usually involves the application of appliances, partial braces to guide the growth of developing jaw bones, and it creates a better environment for adult teeth when they grow in.
Most doctors will want to do an initial consult, followed by treatment options, then a discussion of price and treatment application, the surgery or treatment itself and then follow up treatments as needed.
Most of the time, orthodontists will recommend braces, but a few, like these NYC orthodontics, might recommend braces or retainers and other non-brace alternatives depending on the patient’s situation.
Patients who are ideal candidates usually have at least one of the following conditions:
- Early or late permanent tooth loss
- Difficulty chewing
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking
- Crowded or misplaced teeth
- Jaws that are too far forward
- Biting of the cheeks and roof of the mouth – accidental
- Front teeth that don’t meet or meet in a weird or abnormal way
- An imbalanced facial structure
- Clenching or grinding of teeth
Benefits Of Treatment
There are a lot of benefits that come with treatment. Usually, the most obvious is the resolution of an immediate problem, like pain or speech problems, eating difficulties, or problems swallowing.
Effective treatments may include:
Maxillary Protraction: This is a procedure where the doctor fits you with an appliance to help make the upper jaw grow forward to correct your bite and profile. If this is not done, especially at a young age, the maxillary bones may cause more trouble down the road.
Palatal Expansion: This is a procedure where a special piece of hardware is inserted in the mouth and the palate and mouth are expanded to accommodate the wisdom teeth. Early expansion also eliminates lower jaw shifts, which will cause it to grow off to one side.
Partial Braces: If you don’t want full braces, partial ones might be the answer. Partial braces can be applied to the four front teeth if they’re extremely crowded. In a 7-9 year-old patient, this can make a dramatic change in how the child develops and the future of their oral health.
In about 6 months, the patient’s oral situation will be improved, and there will be room for the back teeth, which will erupt later on.
Space Maintenance: Space maintenance refers to a process where space maintainer appliances are placed in the mouth to help with the proper alignment of teeth as they grow in. This can help the back teeth as well as the front teeth by causing them to come in at the right angle and straighter than they otherwise would.
Abbie Ingram is at school studying to become an orthodontist. She had braces herself aged 12 and this inspired her to head down this career path, after seeing the kind, friendly faces who looked after her, and her teeth!
About Jammie Morey
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