Did you know that we can start treatment for kids as young as age seven? Starting with Phase I orthodontics, we can help guide smile growth and limit the severity of dental misalignment. In today’s blog, your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist talks about helping kids with Phase I interceptive orthodontics.
Starting Treatment for Misalignment
Poor alignment can impact the health of your child’s smile. When they have uneven teeth, this could make thorough brushing and flossing difficult and leave them more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease. They may also feel embarrassed about their appearance. Alignment could worsen with time without intervention too, impacting the care that will be needed in the teen and adult years to correct their smiles. We can offer an initial exam and start treatment for kids as young as age seven. When there is a mix of permanent and baby teeth, we can better gauge the risk of misalignment and take action with Phase I orthodontics.
Our Phase I Orthodontics
If your child has lost a baby tooth prematurely, this could cause surrounding teeth to drift and impact how the permanent teeth erupt, creating misalignment. But with a space maintainer, we can provide an oral appliance that is fixed in place and helps keep the area open so that the permanent teeth can erupt properly.
Our team could also create a retainer, which is worn daily to help shift the teeth and guide the growth of the jaw. The retainer could be removable or fixed in place, and helps limit how long kids may need braces or aligners in their teen years.
What Happens Next?
Following the first phase of treatment, all the permanent teeth need to erupt and calcify properly. When this happens, we can start the final phase of treatment, which usually happens in the teen years. This could involve the use of traditional braces or Invisalign® aligners to correct the smile completely. We may then prescribe a retainer to help keep the smile even as the jawbone reforms around the new positions of the teeth.
If you have any questions about how we help little smiles with our Phase I orthodontic treatments, or if you would like to schedule a visit for your little one, then contact our team today to learn and get started. An even smile is possible, and we can start early!
Starting Your Child’s Orthodontic Treatment in Shirley, NY
The first phase of treatment can help kids on their journey to an even smile, so they can feel confident and enjoy better oral health and improved bite function too. To find out more about us, call Shirley Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Shirley, NY at 631.399.1600 today.
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