There are various treatments to correct the position of teeth, with orthodontics for children being the most common of all. However, it is important to go to the dentist for a complete diagnosis and for the professional to assess which procedure is the most appropriate.
How can I know if my child needs orthodontics?
Although the most accurate diagnosis is always given by an orthodontic specialist, it is possible to notice certain signs that indicate whether a child will need braces.
There are certain factors that cannot be avoided, such as premature or late eruption of baby teeth or problems with the temporomandibular joint.
However, in many cases bite problems are caused by undesirable habits in childhood.
If we observe that our child has any of these habits, he or she may need orthodontics for children with some device to correct his or her jaw.
- The habit of persistently sucking the thumb once the child has turned three years old.
- Thumb sucking, which is common in babies, can cause a protruding jaw, an open bite and a high-arched palate.
- Oral breathing, which is the result of large adenoids and tonsils, can cause developmental disorders if not replaced by nasal breathing.
- Finally, the continued habit of bottle feeding or sucking on a pacifier once the child is older than two years old.
Orthodontics for children: The first visit with the orthodontist
Specialists recommend a first visit to the orthodontist once the child has turned 6 years old.
During these check-ups, the dentist can check the correct eruption of the teeth, the position of the jaw bones or the state of the bite.
Among the most common treatments to correct crooked teeth in children we find:
Preventive orthodontics
It is applied early, from the age of 4, when the bones are developing, to prevent or correct bad habits such as digital sucking (thumb sucking), which can lead to malocclusion problems or skeletal and dental problems.
Interceptive Orthodontics
It allows the correction and guidance of the growth of the maxillary bones (upper jaw and mandible) when they are still in full development, from 5 or 6 years of age, thus avoiding more serious problems in the future.
Corrective orthodontics with brackets
Corrective orthodontics with braces is a widely used treatment for children, usually applied between the ages of 11 and 12 when all permanent teeth have erupted. This type of orthodontics can correct dental malpositions such as crowding or other dental malocclusions.
Invisible orthodontics
It consists of transparent, custom-designed aligners that progressively correct the position of the teeth and malocclusion problems.
In some cases, crooked teeth can be corrected by combining various treatments, such as interceptive orthodontics and braces or invisible orthodontics, once the permanent teeth have erupted.
Invisible orthodontics for children is an innovative technique that consists of the placement of transparent, removable aligners, made entirely to measure. These splints adapt to the contour of the teeth and make slight movements until the desired results are achieved, effectively.
Benefits of taking children to the orthodontist at an early age
- Determine a better prognosis of how permanent teeth will develop.
- Determine habits that may be the cause of developmental problems, such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting.
- Correct bite problems such as open bite, cross bite, or deep bite
- Guide jaw growth to accommodate emerging teeth.
- Reduce the risk of damage to protruding teeth.
- Improve your child’s appearance and self-esteem.
- Create a more pleasing and functional arrangement of teeth, lips, and face.
- Orthodontics for children alleviates future and possibly more invasive dental correction.
For this reason, it is important to have regular check-ups with the orthodontist from the age of 6 to detect any type of malocclusion and avoid very complex and invasive treatments in the future.
