If it seems as though you are seeing children in braces at a younger age than you used to, you may be right! Many parents are surprised to learn that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children be screened by an orthodontist no later than seven years old. You may be thinking, “Seven years old? When I was a child, I didn’t get braces until I was twelve!” Again, you are right! The majority of children will be ready for orthodontic treatment between the ages of nine and fourteen. However, there are many children who have bite issues, harmful habits and jaw discrepancies that would greatly benefit from early treatment with an orthodontist.
Why seven years old?
By the age of seven, the first permanent molars have erupted, allowing an orthodontist to evaluate the front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. Now, not all bite issues are created equal and some children would not benefit from treatment at such a young age. However, the treatment of an underbite (where the upper jaw is too small or the lower jaw is too big) or a crossbite (where the upper jaw is too narrow) could potentially avoid surgical correction later in life. The ultimate goal is to create the best result possible, using the childs own growth to help balance the bite and jaws.
Early treatment, which is typically referred to as “Phase I, ” is accomplished between ages seven and ten, and generally lasts nine to twelve months. Also, a child who had early treatment with an orthodontist may still need another round of orthodontic treatment when they are adolescents, commonly known as “Phase II.”
Why can’t all of this be fixed at the same time?
Phase I of treatment will often not yield a perfect bite when all of the permanent teeth erupt because the orthodontist cannot guide the teeth that are not yet in the mouth. However, the benefit to early treatment is to correct the major jaw/bite discrepancies or habits and to alleviate any detrimental problems before all of the permanent teeth erupt.
So what if your child (thankfully), does not need early treatment?
If treatment is not needed at an early age, the orthodontist will monitor your child’s development (usually, at no cost to you) so that treatment can begin when it’s most appropriate for your child. The most appropriate time/age differs from child to child, because each child develops differently. There are some children who have all of their permanent teeth at nine years old and there are others who still have baby teeth as teenagers. Periodic evaluations of your child will allow your orthodontist to assess when the appropriate time to begin treatment would be.
