Helping your child avoid big dental problems

Helping Your Child Avoid Big Dental Problems

Here are 5 conditions that warrant early treatment during mixed dentition (ages 6-9).

1. Mouth breathing /snoring
This can cause narrow arches which delays and causes poor tooth emergence. Our patented Press-On expanders painlessly correct this condition.

2. Lack of Space for Permanent Teeth
Permanent incisors normally emerge at age 6. Delayed emergence usually indicates a lack of space. This is easily corrected with painless expanders and or with short term braces (less than one year).

3. Thumb or Finger Sucking
This causes flared incisors and can stunt lower jaw growth. Early correction (ages 5-9) helps the child’s growth to normalize and helps with speech and chewing.

4. Underbite
Top teeth behind the lower teeth can cause the need for jaw surgery if left unchecked as well as tooth wear and periodontal problems often result as well and short-term braces between the ages of 6-9 yields dramatic correction.

5. Overbite
Upper teeth protrusion is often the result of thumb sucking or mouth breathing. Short term braces around the ages 6-9 quickly correct this condition and we never use headgear. Traumatic injury to the upper front teeth often results when orthodontic correction is not pursued in time.

Early treatment between the ages 6-9 pays huge dividends and avoids big problems in addition to raising the child’s self-esteem. Please call our office if you see any of the above conditions.