Preventive Orthodontics is suggested for:
- Kids
- Children as early as age 5 may be treated for jaw development problems. However, age 7 is usually a good time to assess children to determine if orthodontic treatment is/or will be required in the future. This is a good time to evaluate crossbites, crowding, and other problems.
- Early treatment can simplify later treatment.
The advantages of early treatment include:
- Guiding jaw growth and development of incoming permanent teeth
- Developing the width of the upper and lower dental arches; thus, increasing space for permanent teeth to avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions, and reducing likelihood of permanent teeth impaction
- Correcting childhood habits such as thumb-sucking, and eliminating abnormal swallowing or speech problems; to pevent adverse jaw and teeth development.
