Orthodontics
As a full service children’s specialty practice, Dentistry 4 Kids offers complete care for all of our patients, including Orthodontics. Orthodontists are required to complete an additional two to three years of specialty training following dental school. Orthodontics is the area of dentistry focused on correcting your child’s facial growth and development. The American Association of Orthodontics recommends that children receive their first orthodontic evaluation by their seventh birthday. Please call us today to receive a complimentary exam and consultation for your child.
Orthodontic treatment uses braces, retainers and other appliances to correct any abnormalities. Braces will help us to provide your child with their best smile and it will positively impact their life forever.
Phase I Treatment:
The goal of Phase I is to develop your child's jaws to make room for the future eruption of permanent teeth, while improving the relationship between the upper and lower jaws. An upper or lower jaw that is growing too much or not enough can benefit from this early orthodontic treatment. This type of correction will often prevent dental trauma, later removal of permanent teeth, or even jaw surgery. The treatment time for Phase I is usually between 9 - 18 months. After this, patients wear retainers and receive check-ups every four to six months, while the remaining permanent teeth erupt.
Phase II & Full Treatment:
The goal of Phase II or Full Treatment is to position all of your child’s permanent teeth to maximize their appearance and function. This is best accomplished with full braces or another method, like Invisalign, and usually takes between 18 -30 months. Due to the improvements made in Phase I Treatment, Phase II Treatment requires less patient participation (no headgear and less rubber bands), often eliminates extraction of permanent teeth, and reduces the time spent in full braces.
Common Problems:
Malocclusion - This is the number one reason children visit an orthodontist. This is commonly referred to as a poor bite, or bad bite. There are many different forms of this issue that may lead to future complications. Thumb sucking beyond the age of 4 is one of many reasons for this affliction.
Crowding - Simply caused when there isn't enough space in the mouth for all of your child’s teeth. Crowding worsens over time as teeth continue coming in, which may lead to overlapping teeth. Crowding may be corrected by creating space in the mouth utilizing an appliance, or in severe cases by extraction.
Protrusion - Commonly called, “Buck Teeth”, this occurs when the upper front teeth stick out, or the lower teeth don’t extend enough, often caused by a child sucking on their thumb.