In honor of National Orthodontic Month, I reached out to Holahan & Boe Orthodontics in Cedar Falls to find some useful information that I could share with our readers. In case you didn't see one of the previous articles, my 13 year old is currently about 3 months into a 2 1/2 year orthodontic treatment plan with Dr. Holohan because his mouth had more teeth than it can fit... and he has a significant overbite. We have known for years that he would need braces, however, I was under the misconception that many of us have that they can't do any orthodontic treatment until the adult teeth have all come in. That is apparently a myth and my son would have benefited greatly from early intervention...
According to a release from the American Association of Orthodontics: "Even though most people think of pre-teens and teens when they think of orthodontics, there are good reasons your child should get an orthodontic evaluation much sooner. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a check-up with an orthodontic specialist no later than age 7."
AGE 7 YOU GUYS! All I can think is that we maybe could have gotten ahead of these teeth and jaw issues if we would have gone to the orthodontist at age 7 rather than age 12. Drs. Holohan & Boe do offer FREE consultations, so there is certainly no financial harm in having your children seen at an earlier age. And maybe the treatments would be less extensive (therefore less costly) if you can address it early.
Orthodontists can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. While your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem that only an orthodontist can detect.
The check-up may reveal that your child’s bite is fine. Or, the orthodontist may identify a developing problem but recommend monitoring the child’s growth and development, and then if indicated, begin treatment at the appropriate time for the child. In other cases, the orthodontist might find a problem that can benefit from early treatment. Early treatment may prevent more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated. In some cases, the orthodontist will be able to achieve results that may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.
Early treatment may give your orthodontist the chance to:
• guide jaw growth
• lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
• correct harmful oral habits
• improve appearance
• guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position
• improve the way lips meet
Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you’ll be giving your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile. And because patients differ in both physiological development and treatment needs, the orthodontist’s goal is to provide each patient with the most appropriate treatment at the most appropriate time.
Drs. Holahan & Boe shared this image of an 8 year old patient that "we did early treatment for to correct an underbite and a cross bite with the back molars. This required upper braces along with an upper expander. His comprehensive treatment later on when all of his teeth are in will be much easier now."
Contact Holahan & Boe Orthodontics for a FREE consultation or reach out to your preferred orthodontist.
