Braces and Babies
By Richard J. Moses, III, D.M.D.
“Kids are getting braces at a younger age than they did when I was a child.” Does this sound familiar? I’ve said it myself! I’ve even wondered in the past why the 8-year-old child sitting in my pediatric dental chair had braces on the only two adult teeth that they had. That was then; now as a trained orthodontist, I am considering when the appropriate time to begin orthodontic therapy on my 6-year old son will be. Six seems mighty young to begin orthodontic therapy on a child! When you consider that there is possible irreversible adverse skeletal growth occurring, it does not seem as far-fetched any more.
Evaluation and guidance of jaw growth is just one thing that a dentist trained in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics (an orthodontist for short) does for a growing child. Orthodontists are dentists that have 2-3 years of formal specialized training beyond dental school. We can spot subtle jaw imbalances and tooth emergence problems before all the baby teeth have fallen out. Even though your child’s teeth may look beautiful, straight, and white, there may be a developing problem that only an orthodontist would notice.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7. Most children don’t need braces at this age, but an orthodontist can evaluate them and develop an appropriate and customized monitoring program for them. If they do need treatment, the orthodontist can determine the most advantageous time for therapy. Waiting until the completion of facial growth may be a disadvantage.
Although a thorough orthodontic evaluation is the safest way to rule out growth and development problems in a child, there are several things that you can look for:
- Baby teeth that have fallen out too soon or too late
- Prolonged sucking on fingers or thumbs
- Difficulty with speech
• Teeth that are in the wrong places
- Teeth or jaw that sticks out or protrudes (“bucky”)
- Difficulty with biting or a bite that does not “look right”
- Difficulty breathing through the nose or routine mouth breathing
- Facial imbalance
- Teeth or jaw that is too far back (“underbite”)
- Upper and lower front teeth that don’t touch when biting (open bite)
- Cheek biting (crossbite) or lower front teeth that bite the roof of the mouth (deep bite)
It’s not a bad idea to have a specialist on your side; although, not everyone needs orthodontic treatment. It’s never too late; so even if your child is older than 7, head over to your orthodontist for a check-up. While you’re there, feel free to ask that burning question that you have about your own teeth! Orthodontics and technology have come a long way since we were kids. Braces (and aligners) are not just for kids anymore; moms and dads are sporting them as well!
Richard J. Moses, III, D.M.D. is a dual trained orthodontist and pediatric dentist at Gettysburg Dental Associates. He specializes in child and adult orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Gettysburg Dental AssociatesEric Seidel, DMD | Cleveland Null, DDS
www.GettysburgDentalAssociates.com Just Kids at Gettysburg Dental Associates
Stephanie DeFilippo, DDS | Kristin Russo, DMD
www.JustKidsGettysburg.com353 York Street Front
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Phone: (717) 334-8193
Fax: (717) 334-0884
www.gettysburgfamilysmiles.com
