Orthodontics in Children: What First-Time Parents Should Know

February 08, 2021

  

We’ve all been a child at one point so we’re all aware of how scary a trip to the dentist used to be. Regardless, you should also understand why orthodontics is important for children at a young age. It is a must that you encourage your child to go to the dentist immediately. Here’s what you should know about it if you’re a first-time parent.

What Is Orthodontics?

Simply put, orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that focuses more on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. These include conditions such as overbite and underbite teeth which are usually treated with braces and retainers. It’s an important field of dentistry that tackles the aesthetic and functional aspects of one’s teeth and jaw.

How Young Is Too Young For Orthodontics?

The truth is that there is no age that’s too young or too old for orthodontics. Some parents take their kids as early as when they are 4 years old. Teenagers and adults get treated eventually as well. However, it is advised that you take your child from the moment his or her permanent teeth start kicking in at around the age of 7.

There are many reasons why orthodontist related conditions need to be treated ASAP. An early diagnosis is essential if you want your child to get treated as fast as possible. As we grow older, our bones, including our jaw and teeth become harder. This means orthodontics treatments are going to take longer and are going to be more complex as compared to when a child gets treated.

It’s also important to get your child treated as early as possible because, at a young age, they have fewer responsibilities to worry about. It’s tough getting braces as an adult because these could impact your speaking which is another reason to have these problems treated ASAP.

Orthodontic treatments like braces require work from both the dentist and the patient. As such, it’s also a good way to teach your child the importance of oral health.

What Are Common Orthodontic Problems?

There are many possible problems treated by a dentist of this specialty. Most of them are misalignments also called malocclusions. There are also other issues which include jaw growth problems, missing teeth, extra teeth, spacing problems, and more.  Basically, most issues that affect the alignment of your child’s teeth warrants an orthodontist visit.

Most of these problems happen when your child is still an infant. For instance, overbites are often caused by persistent finger-sucking. Even if the problems aren’t visible at a glance, you should still consider taking your child to an orthodontist at least once so that they can check if there really is a problem.

Orthodontics is an important branch of dentistry that your child should go under early on. There’s nothing to be worried about as these problems are never too late to fix. Still, it would be best to take your child to a dentist of this specialty as soon as possible so that they can get through the problem as soon as possible.

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