Treatments for children
From the age of 7, your child will need regular check-ups (every 12 to 18 months) to monitor the development of his or her teeth.
At an early age, certain orthodontic treatments may be necessary to :
- Correct thumb-sucking habits
- Maintain space in the event of premature baby tooth loss
- Improve aesthetics and self-confidence
- Improve certain speech problems
- Regain the space needed for the eruption of permanent teeth
- Normalize jaw growth
- Widen the upper arch
- Improve eruption patterns
- Reduce the risk of trauma to the upper incisors
- Simplify and/or shorten the duration of subsequent corrective orthodontic treatment
- Reduce the possibility of permanent teeth becoming impacted.
Different types of braces can be used to accomplish these goals.
If your child requires no orthodontic intervention at an early age, the orthodontist can continue to observe the eruption of adult teeth periodically. In general, adolescence is the best time to begin comprehensive orthodontic treatment.
Improve aesthetics and self-confidence
Aesthetics and self-confidence are closely linked to any orthodontic treatment.
Improved smiles, for young and old alike, bring about changes in confidence that are visible from the very start of orthodontic treatment.
Smiles are often the first thing people notice about themselves, and orthodontic treatment can transform a lukewarm smile into an infectious one.
An orthodontic consultation will guide you through the various possibilities that orthodontic treatment could offer you.
To improve certain speech difficulties
Some speech (pronunciation) issues can be corrected, and often improved, with orthodontic treatment combined with speech therapy.
Sigmatism (lisping) associated with an open bite is a good example.
Correcting the malocclusion reduces the amount of air coming out of the mouth, and in combination with the work of the speech therapist, the orthodontist is able to correct this speech defect and thus stabilize the orthodontic correction.
It is therefore important to consult an orthodontist around the age of 7, or as soon as you have any concerns about your child’s teeth.
Recover the space needed for the emergence of permanent teeth
It’s important to regain lost space in order to avoid or reduce the need for major orthodontic treatment in adolescence, which may be longer, more costly or more complex.
Premature loss of primary teeth for various reasons (extensive decay, trauma, etc.) can lead to localized space loss in children’s primary dentition. A wide range of interceptive orthodontic treatments are available to regain lost space.
So it’s important to consult an orthodontist around age 7, or as soon as you have any concerns about your child’s teeth.
Normalize jaw growth
In children and adolescents, orthodontic treatment that intervenes in jaw growth is possible, and can correct bone deformities that would only be corrected by surgery in adults.
It’s essential to consult an orthodontist to find out the best time to correct jaw problems in children and teenagers.
By consulting an orthodontist at the age of 7, you’ll have a clear picture of your child’s jaw problems and the ideal age to start orthodontic treatment, if deemed appropriate by the orthodontist.
Widening the upper arch
Palatal expansion is an interceptive treatment recommended for young people to improve the space available for tooth eruption.
It also improves airflow through the upper airways, and can help improve sleep apnea symptoms in children.
Your orthodontist will be able to explain the benefits of this treatment if your child requires it.
If a consultation with an ENT specialist is required, he or she will also be able to guide you.
Widening the upper arch will also help reduce the complexity of orthodontic treatment in adolescence.
The upper arch can also be widened in adults using a variety of techniques; a consultation with an orthodontist will guide you to the appropriate treatment.
Improving eruption patterns
In orthodontics, there are sometimes simple ways of improving the sequence of the arrival of certain teeth, in order to create the right environment for the teeth to articulate correctly.
A consultation with an orthodontist at the age of 7 will give you all the information you need, as well as the best time to carry out this type of minor intervention to ensure optimal development of your child’s teeth.