EARLY TREATMENT
Early orthodontic treatment is indicated if there is a chance it will:
- Eliminate the need for further treatment
- Simplify treatment in the future
- Prevent further damage to the teeth/gums
- Improve a child’s self-esteem (if they are being teased about their teeth)
It is generally a short course of treatment (6-8 months) which might include partial braces, removable plates, or fixed jaw expanders.
While there are only a few instances in which we recommend early orthodontic treatment, we still love meeting your children between 8-10 years at our Papamoa clinic if possible. As we review them over time, they become more comfortable and familiar with us and our practice, and we enjoy watching their personalities develop.
At these preliminary visits we are checking for:
- Missing teeth
- Impacted teeth
- Damage resulting from a poor bite
- Early crowding
- Loss of space (following premature extraction of baby teeth)
- Jaw/bite relationships
- Oral hygiene and caries experience
- Chalky teeth/enamel hypomineralisation
- Habits
- Trauma
We can often give you an indication of the likelihood that orthodontic treatment will be required long-term which gives you plenty of time to plan financially.
Having early orthodontic treatment doesn’t always eliminate the need for a second phase of comprehensive treatment during adolescence, so the benefit vs cost does need to be carefully considered.