Early Orthodontic Assessment It is never too early to take your child to the dentist to get an early orthodontic assessment. Irregularities in tooth development can have severe consequences down the line, so it is better to solve these issues as early as possible to prevent future problems. Crowded teeth, protruding teeth, and too much space between teeth can cause issues with facial growth and jaw development. If you want to avoid high-cost future visits, it is wise to tackle these problems before they become severe.Here at Dr. Jeffrey Kashner Orthodontics, we care about your child's dental health and will work with you to find any issues that have the potential to cause problems in facial or dental development. In this article, we will review the process of early orthodontic assessments and you can decide if this is the right choice for your child. What Is an Early Orthodontic Assessment?With the exception of severe dental problems, most children do not begin to get orthodontic treatments until the age of seven. To get a head start on their child's dental health, many parents choose to get early orthodontic assessments beforehand to catch subtle developmental issues that grow into larger health problems. Even though most children still have their baby teeth at this age, evaluating how these baby teeth are growing can offer insights into how their dental health is progressing. Catching these issues before they have serious consequences is a practice known as "interceptive orthodontics." Why Should You Consider an Early Orthodontic Assessment?The biggest reason your child should receive an early orthodontic assessment is to correct dental problems before they cause permanent damage. If you wait until the adult teeth are fully in, it can take years of treatment and expensive medical procedures to correct any dental issues. Problems like misaligned bites, over or underbites, crooked or crowded teeth, and abnormal swallowing can affect other areas of health that can seriously impact a child's development. Straightening teeth is one of the most common dental procedures performed on children. If you wait until the teeth are fully developed, then it will take much longer to straighten the teeth and the results may be less than optimal. Our team of experienced orthodontists can correct this at an early age and help to prevent the need for more expensive dental procedures in the future. Years of misaligned biting can also create problems with how the jaw develops. Even at resting position, the teeth should be as close to perfectly aligned as possible, so the jaw does not have to compensate for a misaligned bite. If the problem goes unresolved, major surgery may even be necessary to fix the overbite or underbite that results from the jaw's overcompensation. Habits like thumb-sucking or pacifier use at later ages can cause issues with jaw alignment as well. While it will not affect every child negatively, it is better to catch these potential damage-causing habits at an early age so they can be ceased immediately and prevent damage to oral health. ConclusionYour child's dental health is important and there are steps you can take to ensure that their dental health is progressing correctly. At Dr. Jeffrey Kashner Orthodontics, every child gets the attention and care they need to get the healthiest smile possible. So, call us at 253-630-3331 to set up an appointment for an early orthodontic assessment today. |
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