Kid Orthodontist
Braces for Children in Layton, Utah
It’s best for the orthodontist to see children by age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required and it is the best time for that patient to be treated. The first permanent molars and incisors have usually come in by that time and crossbites, crowding, and other problems can be evaluated.
When treatment is begun early, the orthodontist can guide the growth of the jaw and guide incoming permanent teeth. Early treatment can also regulate the width of the upper and lower dental arches, gain space for permanent teeth, avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions, reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth, correct thumb-sucking, and eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech problems. In other words, early treatment can simplify later treatment.
We follow the early treatment recommendations of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), which recommends that all children have an evaluation by a certified orthodontist by age seven. Cameron Orthodontics can accurately determine if your child’s dental condition will lead to further issues to determine if it can be prevented by early orthodontic treatment
Our Expertise
Ideal Treatment Timing
Dr. Cameron will use his extensive knowledge and experience to evaluate your child’s orthodontic needs and determine not only the need for
Improve facial balance
Certain early treatment plans can help provide more harmonious growth of the upper and lower jaws. In many cases, Dr. Cameron can prevent more invasive procedures in the future by correcting these jaw imbalances early on.
Prevent future adult teeth extractions
Through early intervention, Dr. Cameron can help prevent future adult teeth extractions by managing the space during the period that patients are transitioning between losing their baby teeth and gaining adult teeth. This may be through the use of expanders, braces or a combination of both.
How We Help
Indications for Early Treatment
Early treatment allows our orthodontic team to evaluate dental conditions early on before your child’s face finishes growing in their teenage years. From ages 7-11, we begin the first phase of treatment which may include and helps with:
- Increase the self-esteem of the patient by improving their smile
- Prevent future adult teeth extractions
- Correct and guide jaw growth
- Improve facial balance
- Prevent tooth wear
- Correct narrow palate
- Help with snoring
- Help with sleep apnea
- Improve the way lips meet together
- Address grinding
- Improve the appearance of the mouth and teeth alignment
- Guide permanent teeth into a healthy, favorable position
- Lower the overall risk of trauma to protruding front teeth
- Help correct bad habits such as thumb sucking, and tongue thrusting
If your child has delayed tooth loss and eruption, crowding teeth, poor positioning of adult teeth, difficulty or painful episodes of chewing, breathes through their mouth or snores, contact us. We will help you create a plan for long-term orthodontic care.
Diagnosis
Dr. Cameron can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. While your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem that only an orthodontist, like Dr. Cameron, can detect.
A check-up may reveal that your child’s bite is fine. Or, the Cameron Orthodontics team may identify a developing problem but recommend monitoring the child’s growth and development, and then, if indicated, begin treatment at the appropriate time for the child. In other cases, we might find a problem that can benefit from early treatment.
Early treatment may prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated. In some cases, Dr. Cameron will be able to achieve results that may not be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing.
Early treatment may give us the chance to:
- Guide jaw growth
- Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
- Correct harmful oral habits Improve appearance
- Guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position
- Create a more pleasing arrangement of teeth, lips and face.
Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you’ll be giving your child the best opportunity for a healthy, beautiful smile.
