They can have problems with their teeth, as well as their jaws. Most of the time, patients find themselves wanting to correct crowding in their teeth. At this age, they mainly seek aesthetic correction, but have often been referred by their dentist who has identified other problems.
Teeth can be crooked for a number of reasons. The teeth may be too big for the size of the mouth, and vice versa. This means that a patient who presents with the opposite problem often has teeth that are too small for his or her jaw size, or possibly has a jaw that is extremely large.
Patients often have problems with jaw position: that is, one of the jaws may be forward or backward, or possibly a mixture of the two. In such situations, the orthodontist must intervene to redirect jaw growth as far as possible towards normal. Patients are often referred for orthodontic treatment to prevent the development of certain problems, such as: the development of narrow jaws, inclusion of adult teeth (teeth stuck in the jaw) and missing or missing teeth.