In this blog, our Langley orthodontists explain when your child can start having orthodontic treatment.
Every child has a beautiful and unique smile - especially your child! You might be wondering when the right time would be to start their orthodontic treatment to get the best possible results.
The answer to this question depends on the severity of your child's jaw misalignment or bite. In previous years, orthodontists would typically delay orthodontic treatment until a child enters their teenage years (between 12 and 14 years of age). This was done to give permanent teeth time to erupt. However, this method often leads to permanent teeth being extracted to give teeth room to move
Today, our team takes a different approach to orthodontic treatment. With interceptive orthodontics, we are able to begin treating children as young as 7 to 11 years old. The benefit of early treatment is that we are able to fix problems before they completely develop and can retain more of the adult teeth that would have had to be extracted later.
Interceptive orthodontics lets us use orthodontic appliances (not always braces) while your child still has their baby teeth. After your child's adult teeth emerge, they can start the second phase of orthodontic treatment. Generally, this is the time they will wear braces.
Our orthodontists at Fraser Valley Orthodontics are able to evaluate your child's teeth and oral health to determine if they are candidates for treatment. If we are able to address your child's alignment problems with orthodontic intervention, our team will explain how treatment can have a positive outcome for your child's smile. We will discuss all of the treatment options we have available with you and establish a customized treatment plan.