It’s a common misconception that the only time you need to take your child to the orthodontist for a braces consultation is in their early teens. However, the American Association of Orthodontists suggests having them evaluated at a much younger age. There are a multitude of possible treatment benefits when your child has an early evaluation, and our West Chester, PA orthodontist outlines them below.

Catching Problems Early

Our orthodontist is specially trained to be able to detect jaw growth problems and bite abnormalities. These problems can be detected even when your child still has baby teeth, as certain jaw and bite disorders simply have to do with the structure of the jaw and the way the teeth are growing. Finding and starting treatment for these disorders as early as possible increases the chances of success.

What Problems, What Treatment?

Some problems that can be caught and treated early include:

• Overbite
• Underbite
• Extra teeth growing in
• Abnormal jaw growth

Our orthodontist can detect any possible anomalies on an x-ray and recommend treatment plans depending on your child’s results.

What Age Is Recommended?

Most orthodontists recommend that you bring your child in for an evaluation before the age of 7. After this age, the bones in the mouth continue growing and start to fuse and harden, making orthodontic treatment more difficult and painful. In addition to a higher chance of treatment success, early intervention often has shorter treatment times in general, making the process easier for you and your child.

It is possible that your child has completely normal teeth and jaw growth, which is great! However, if there are any issues, our orthodontist wants to make sure to guide your child’s orthodontic health in the right direction at the earliest opportunity.

Contact Our West Chester, PA Orthodontist for an Early Consult Today!

The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about this and other orthodontic-related topics, feel free to contact Tamburrino Family Orthodontics by clicking here or by calling 484-730-1921.