Looking for information about orthodontic treatment for your child? Read about orthodontic diagnosis, steps in orthodontic treatment, about teeth braces and importance of orthodontic treatment in children. Find out why early orthodontic treatment is essential before it gives rise to future complications.

Teeth are a very important part of the body. Problems with teeth can spoil the looks of a person. Teeth are also important for good speech and for chewing food properly. When any of these above functions are getting hampered in a child, due to irregular teeth or jaws, orthodontic treatment would be required.

When would a Child need Orthodontic Treatment?

When a child has teeth projecting out, lips are not closing properly or the teeth look crowded, it can be embarrassing for the child. Orthodontic treatment would be required for improving looks as looking good is very important. Looking good helps to increase confidence.

Some children who have discrepancies in jaw size or positions can have problems. Discrepancies in jaw size or positions can have adverse effects on the facial appearance. Also, if the jaws and teeth do not meet properly, it leads to excessive force getting transmitted on some teeth which can lead to wearing out of the enamel of the teeth.

Irregular teeth can cause difficulty while brushing which could result in cavities or other gum problems and shorten the life of those teeth.

There are some rare cases where improper spacing in the front teeth causes speech problems. Here, orthodontics can improve speech as well.

At what Age should your Child have an Orthodontic Examination?

Orthodontists recommend that you should take your child for an orthodontic examination by the age of seven, unless you suspect problem at an earlier age. Seven is the average age when the permanent teeth start erupting. Most facial asymmetries are likely to be apparent by this age.

Steps in Orthodontic Treatment

At the first visit to the orthodontist, he will examine your child and suggest the different treatment options available. He would then proceed to collect records.

These records would include photographs of the teeth and face, X-rays of the face and jaws, and impressions from which plastic models of the teeth are constructed.

The records are required for understanding and analyzing each case properly and also for future reference.

After analyzing the records the treatment will be planned. Before starting the orthodontic treatment any extractions of tooth or other preliminary procedures will need to be carried out.

If seen as necessary, it may be required to extract teeth in order to gain sufficient space to align the remaining teeth. Also, any decayed teeth will need to be filled and sometimes teeth may require cleaning.

The braces will then be fitted and these braces have to be worn during the entire duration of the treatment.

After fitting the braces, you will be called for appointments approximately every 4-8 weeks. During treatment children may have to wear items such as rubber bands or headgears.

Types of Braces

Braces are usually made of stainless steel and are the most effective way to move teeth and their position.

There are many types of braces like metal braces, ceramic braces, brand braces, lingual braces and nowadays even invisible braces.

If you do not want anybody to know that you are wearing braces, you can choose to wear invisible braces. Invisible braces are removable also and do not spoil the smile!

Post-treatment

In order to prevent moving of teeth back to the original position, retainers may be required to be worn once the treatment with braces is complete. It is important to wear the retainers properly to avoid the teeth slipping back to their original place. In such a case, the entire treatment would go a waste.

Care to be taken during orthodontic treatment

One should avoid eating hard things during orthodontic treatment as the braces can get detached if anything hard hits them. Do not also eat sticky things.

Since there are chances of food collection around the braces and under the wires, teeth should be brushed after every meal to avoid cavities, bleeding gums and bad breath.

Is orthodontic treatment painful?

With advancement of technology and orthodontics, pain during orthodontic treatment is not much. Initially, braces make your teeth sore for a few days, but there is no constant pain or discomfort all throughout the treatment.

Early orthodontic treatment advantages

Early orthodontic treatment is important so that corrective action can be taken now itself and to avoid difficult treatment later on.

Early treatment gives better results and makes the new teeth erupt properly. Early orthodontic treatment can also help to avoid future surgical intervention.