If Not Now, Then When?

What is the right age to consult an Orthodontist? Its no later than age 7.....

As a parent we feel excited to see new set of permanent teeth erupting for our children and the facial changes that happen therewith. But many a time we fail to judge if the facial changes that happen during that stage is normal or if there is a problem with the development of jaws and/or teeth. And even if you sense there's something wrong with the appearance of teeth in your kid, you are generally advised by your friends, relatives, elders or even by general dentists that once the child is above 13 years we can correct them with braces. Is that true? So my blog today is to clarify this myth about Orthodontic treatment.

To understand this we have to first know that problems in teeth alignment can be because of many factors:

1. growth problems in the upper and/or lower jaw bones

2. altered functions due to habits like pacifier sucking, thumb sucking, lip biting, mouth breathing, improper swallowing, improper posture of tongue etc.

3. early removal or over retained deciduous (milk) teeth

4. discrepancies between size of tooth and length of tooth bearing jaw bone (alveolar bone)

Growth problems in upper-lower jaw bones and problems due to altered functions/habits can lead to changes in the appearance of face, that is make the upper jaw (along with upper lips) be more forward or the lower jaw be more backward, giving a forwardly placed tooth appearance. Vice versa, in some cases,the lower jaw may grow more forward or the upper jaw be backward and in such cases it gives an appearance of more prominent chin and/or lower teeth. All such problems have to be treated during the growing stages of children itself, during which time the bone and surrounding tissues are more pliable for correction. And they can be corrected using less complex, removable type of appliances itself.

So what is the ideal age for these facial orthopedic correction devices?

Generally, the growth of the upper jaw peaks at about 8-10 years of age and the growth of the lower jaw peaks at about 11-14 years of age. And girls complete growth little faster than boys. So any treatment with orthopedic appliances targeting correction of upper jaw should be done before 10 years and for lower jaw before 13 years.

As with the general myth among people that braces treatment is only after 13 years or after all permanent teeth erupts and you visit an orthodontist late, then we will miss out this active growing period and jaw bone corrections cannot be done, unless a surgery is done to correct the problem.

So what happens when we miss out this active growing period?

1. More complex treatment involving removal of teeth may be required

2. Only teeth position and alignment can be altered with fixed braces and this may not provide the ideal facial balance

3. In more severe cases a surgery may be needed to correct the jaw bones.

Thus, if a child has persistent habits like thumb sucking, mouth breathing etc or a deviation in facial balance or teeth alignment problems are noted, it is advisable to visit an Orthodontist for a opinion by the time of eruption of first permanent upper front teeth, that is, around the age of 7 years. This allows the doctor to make corrections using simple appliances by utilizing the growth of the bones.