Why Does My Child Need to See an Orthodontist?

Long Beach, CA – If your child is seven or older and hasn’t had a consultation with an orthodontist, it’s time to make that appointment. Many parents may think this is too young, but the American Association of Orthodontics, American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry all agree – age seven is the ideal time for a child to have his/her first orthodontic consultation.

This doesn’t mean your child will be wearing braces at the age of seven, however. It simply means this is the ideal time for an orthodontist to check for any potential issues that could be developing. At the age of seven, your child should have a mix of both baby and permanent teeth, which gives us the opportunity to see how the teeth are erupting, how the jaws are growing and whether any issues are present that could affect normal development of either.

If we find something that may cause an issue down the road, we can begin interceptive treatment while the jaws are still growing, allowing us to have the best impact on the smile. Waiting until later in adolescence may make treatment more difficult and time consuming.

An initial consultation at HD Orthodontics is complimentary, and gives your child the chance to get to know our staff and feel comfortable in our office. The comprehensive exam will give you peace of mind about how your child’s bite is developing, and allow me to spot any problems that could be emerging. Sometimes, a smile may appear to be straight, but there are issues with the bite that can only be recognized by an orthodontist. The panoramic xray can also reveal problems which may not be apparent when looking in the child’s mouth, so this is a very important part of the diagnosis.

For many children, we’ll find that everything appears to be on track and we’ll schedule a check-up later down the road to ensure the smile continues to grow correctly. For other children, we may notice a problem, but will recommend follow-up visits to monitor as the child grows, allowing us to begin treatment at exactly the right time to have the most impact.

There are some instances, however, when we discover an issue that can benefit from early interceptive treatment. This type of treatment allows us to make corrections to ensure that as the child grows, the teeth and jaws can develop normally. Early treatment can help us prevent more serious problems from emerging later, and can make future treatment easier and shorter. For some patients, early treatment may prevent the need for future treatment altogether.

For patients who require early treatment, we can achieve results that we wouldn’t be able to once the face and jaw have stopped growing. Early treatment allows me to guide the growth of the jaws and ensure that teeth erupt in ideal positions so that your child has a properly functioning bite and beautiful smile. We can also correct the effects of harmful oral habits, such as thumb or finger sucking, tongue thrusting or extended pacifier use.

If your child is seven or older and has not had an orthodontic consultation, call our office today at 562-283-6590 to schedule your complimentary consultation. Doing so will help ensure your child is on the path to a healthy, beautiful smile.