Importance of Early Orthodontic Treatment
Do you ever wonder why dental experts are adamant about early dental care for children? Does it mean that adults are not suitable candidates for dental procedures as are children? The iron-will for dental experts regarding early dental treatments is not misguided. There are incredible benefits that come with getting your teeth fixed and treated at a young age.
Besides, the older you get, the more you wish you had some of the dental works performed earlier in your life. This is especially the case when it comes to early orthodontic treatment in Stafford, VA.
What Is Orthodontic Treatment?
It is a dental procedure that is offered in dentistry to help realign jawbones and reposition teeth. It employs oral appliances like metal brackets, retainers, and other types of braces to help move teeth and align jawbones properly.
Early orthodontic treatment near you suggests that your child should begin to visit a dentist for orthodontic examinations and treatments as soon as they are 7 years old. The goal is to allow the dentist ample time to examine the development of your child’s teeth, relative to the growth of the jawbone. Any underlying oral problems are noted that early, allowing for the planning of early treatments.
How Will You Know Your Child Needs Orthodontic Treatment?
In the early stages of your child’s life, you must be keen to monitor the progress of their growth. For dental health, some of the following things can be pointers that your child needs early orthodontic treatment in 22554:
- Time of losing baby teeth – kids should not lose their milk teeth too early or too late. Losing teeth before the age of 3 is a problem, and losing them after 13 years is another problem.
- Difficulty eating properly – it can be about chewing or even biting into hard foods like carrots and apples.
- Snoring when they sleep
- Thumbsucking that continues for several years
- Protruding teeth – either of the lower or upper jaws
- Uneven spacing between teeth.
Are There Benefits of Early Treatment?
The thought of exposing your child to a series of medication at a young age can be daunting. Most parents feel the need to protect their kids from every kind of pain and discomfort, even that which can substantially improve their health and appearance in the long run. When it comes to early orthodontic care for your child, perhaps considering the following eye-catching benefits can help you appreciate the importance of early treatments in orthodontic dentistry.
- To guide the growth of the jaw – at 7 years, your child is not done growing. Parts of his/her body will still be changing and developing. With orthodontic treatment at an early age, the growth of their jawbone is guided. This ensures that there is no need for alignment of the jawbone when your child is a grown adult.
- To correct bad oral habits – children pick up certain habits that are unhelpful for the health of their oral cavities. This includes thumbsucking. Once early orthodontic treatment commences, it will help your child unlearn the bad habits as they concentrate on treatment.
- To control palatial expansion – this is what creates ample room in the mouth of a child, to accommodate all teeth. Without palatial expansion, teeth tend to crowd the mouth, with some overlapping on others. Palatial expansion ensures that the jaw of your child will not be narrow.
- Lowers the risk of dental decay – cavities are a child’s worst enemy. However, kids are very prone to dental cavities by the time they are age 7. While the odds are the same for all children, those with crowded teeth have a higher chance of dental decay. The reason is that crowding of teeth causes teeth to overlap, making it incredibly difficult to brush and floss teeth properly. This leaves room for plaque to form and settle on the different surfaces of teeth, hence causing dental decay.
Lowers the chances of future orthodontic problems – your child is very likely to enjoy a beautiful smile in adulthood without orthodontic issues. When the treatments are done early, the permanent teeth grow into an already well-established foundation that promotes proper alignment and positioning of teeth in the jawbone.