My son recently started his first round of orthodontic treatment. He’s my third-born but the first of my four kids to start braces. I made the decision to start his braces early to help protect his upper front teeth from traumatic injury and to make more room for his permanent teeth. So many parents tell me they would not consider braces until all the adult teeth are in, but that can be a missed opportunity for a better outcome for certain kids.
Back in the 1980s when I was in Elementary School, I can’t remember a single kid that had braces. Braces were something you waited for until you had all your permanent teeth. A friend of ours related a story from her school days about bending paper clips and rubber bands to look like “fake braces” because she wanted to have braces like the older kids. Back then, the prevailing wisdom in orthodontics was to wait until Junior High or High School and just move the teeth once with one round of braces.
The problem is that you can miss out on the body’s own growth spurts. By starting braces earlier, orthodontists can essentially harness these growth spurts and reshape the face as it is growing. This can correct cross-bites and move teeth out of a harmful or over-biting occlusion. Early orthodontics can also reshape the roof of the mouth and widen the palate to accommodate big teeth genes from one parent and small mouth genes from another parent.
Here are the top three reasons why I refer an Elementary-School Age child to the orthodontist…
Anterior Cross Bite – This can happen when the adult front upper teeth get trapped behind the lower front teeth. If left untreated, the permanent teeth can get worn and chipped. Early Phase One orthodontics or simple early braces can correct this crossbite and get the teeth into a much healthier occlusion or bite.
Severe Overjet – This is what my son had. You would meet his two upper front teeth before you met the rest of his face. We often see very anterior or to-the-front positioned upper front teeth in cases where a child had an extra or supernumerary baby or adult tooth. The extra tooth can cause the normal front teeth to deflect very far forward. While this can be super cute in a child’s smile, it can also increase their risk of traumatic injury to the front teeth. If the front upper teeth stick out beyond the lips, we call this “lip incompetence.” If you have lip incompetence or if you have more than 4-6mm of protrusion of the upper teeth, the risk of trauma (like chips or breaks) to the front teeth increases tenfold!
Severe Crowding – When permanent teeth have just come in and are already on top of each other, this is a case of severe crowding. Dentists can often see this on a child’s X-ray and we can anticipate a future need for braces. When permanent teeth are severely crowded and overlapped, they are harder to clean. For some kids, this means more cavities and gum redness and irritation because it’s so difficult to brush around these tight spots. Early braces can widen the mouth and make more room for permanent teeth.
Early braces can be a great option for kids who have a developing moderate to severe malocclusion. Rather than waiting until high school, there are modifications that can be made along the growth spurts to help redirect and reshape growth into the most ideal and healthy occlusion. There are so many ways to help your child have the best smile! Your child’s dentist is here to help answer questions and we work closely with our local orthodontists to help guide your child towards a lifetime of healthy smiles.
-by Dr. Mandy Ashley
About Our Dentists: Dr. Mandy Ashley, Dr. Madison Galloway and Dr. Tyler McCubbins are Board Certified Pediatric Dentists proud to serve the communities of Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Glasgow! Our Pediatric Dentists and SKY Team provide excellent comprehensive dental care that is fun for children and people with special healthcare needs.
SKY Pediatric Dentistry has been providing dental care to children and adults with special needs since 2013. As board-certified specialists in dentistry for children, our team strives to make going to the dentist as fun as possible while maintaining high-quality treatment and preventative measures. We tailor treatment plans to each child and offer a wide range of treatment options, including sedation, in-office general anesthesia and also hospital-based dentistry. With over 30 YEARS of doctor experience, SKY Pediatric Dentistry is a great choice for children’s dental care in Bowling Green, Hopkinsville and Glasgow!
