What Is Early Prevention?
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children visit an orthodontist when they reach seven years of age. Seven is an ideal age for an initial visit to an orthodontist to detect any abnormalities with the teeth or bite position that may cause problems later. Because your child’s jaws and teeth are changing so rapidly, it’s important that a certified orthodontist see your child every 6-12 months from age seven until they are ready for treatment. At our office, we do not charge for these observation visits including the necessary x-rays and photos.
Each child is unique in their jaw growth and eruption of their baby teeth. Children who have jaw growth issues, crossbites, thumb-sucking habits, or an early loss of baby teeth may need early preventative treatment between the ages of 7-11.
Children who don’t have any of these issues may be able to forgo treatment until most of their permanent teeth have erupted from age 11 until 13. Because the timing is different for every child, your orthodontist will monitor their jaw growth and tooth eruption at no charge until they are ready for treatment.
Additionally, if your family dentist or pediatric dentist has suggested that you visit an orthodontist, please contact our office. We’d be happy to perform an initial examination and talk you through the best steps to take for your child’s smile and overall dental health.
Early Orthodontics
You may have heard your orthodontist mention the importance of early prevention, but what exactly does that mean? Why is it better to begin treatment before any problems arise?
At Charleston Orthodontic Specialists Powered By Smile Doctors, we stress preventative care to ensure the health of your child’s teeth in the future. By simply monitoring your child’s growth and development along with tooth eruption, your orthodontist can help decide the perfect timing of treatment for your child.
Signs Your Child Might Need Treatment
There are a few signs you should look out for to determine whether your child needs early treatment:
- Early or late loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty chewing or biting
- Noticeable overbite or underbite
- Teeth that don’t come together normally
- Crowding of the front teeth
- Speech impediments
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking
- Protruding teeth
- Jaw shifting
It’s essential to discuss any of these issues with an orthodontist so you have a clear picture of what to look for. Your orthodontist will also take x-rays to detect issues you may not be aware of. We encourage all family, friends, and future patients to schedule a free consultation by age seven to let us monitor your child at no charge every 6-12 months. It is not necessary to have a dental referral for this exam and if you don’t have a dentist we will recommend one for you who we feel is a good fit for you and your family.
Early Orthodontics Reviews
Always pleasant when my daughter and I would had appointments together. Now that I’m in retainers, they always work around my schedule to schedule my daughter’s appointments. The staff are always pleasant and friendly and Dr.Lee is amazing and very informative.
I would totally recommend this office. Every encounter I had with the staff was very pleasant. They’re all so nice and professional in including Dr. Lee. The price of the braces are affordable and they do offer payment plans. I also love the color selections of bands that go on braces. They made sure my teeth were perfect before they fitted me for my retainers which I appreciated. Overall I had a great experience and I’m hoping you do as well!
This place is a great!! They are all so nice and patient, the guy who does the financial portion was very helpful and made sure I understood what I was paying for and helped me get the most benefits I could (and answered my millions of questions)!! This is my second time here because I did not where my retainers the first lol but they didn’t make me feel bad or anything they just welcomed me back with open arms! Thank you all for being so nice and upbeat !!
Always pleasant when my daughter and I would had appointments together. Now that my daughter and I are in retainers, they make sure to schedule us in a timely manner if we are in need of something. The staff are always pleasant, always remember who you are, friendly and Dr.Lee is amazing and very informative.
They did an amazing job with my braces and all the work I've needed since, everyone is super nice, there is very little wait time, and the appointments are quick.I've definitely got my money's worth.11/10, would recommend if you need braces, retainers, Invisalign, or any other devices to fix your crooked teeth :)
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