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6 Signs Your Child May Need Orthodontic Treatment

How to Know if your Child Needs Braces

Knowing whether your child may need braces is not always a conclusion you can reach on your own. Everyone is different and there are various factors, both environmental and hereditary, that can influence your child’s oral development. It is mainly for this reason why we recommend that visits to the dentist and orthodontist begin no later than seven years old. General dental check-ups are also a great way to monitor and evaluate your child’s development from a young age.

What are some of the signs that your child may need braces?

1. The shape of their jaw
A jaw or palate that appears slightly disproportioned or small, may indicate problems with their bite later in life. In such cases, braces may prevent crossbite, overbites or underbites from occurring.

2. Crowded or crooked teeth
Crooked teeth can cause gum disease and wear down over a period of time. Crowded teeth simply suggest that there is not enough space in your child’s mouth for the eruption of permanent teeth. While this may not immediately mean that they would require orthodontic treatment, it does mean that their oral development needs to be closely monitored by a professional. On the other hand, when your child’s baby teeth are crowned or misaligned it may be a reason to believe that there is insufficient space to accommodate for their baby teeth.

3. Spacing
It is common for young children to have wide gaps between their primary teeth, simply because these teeth are generally smaller than permanent ones. If the problem persists as your child’s baby teeth fall out, it may suggest a need for orthodontic treatment to force their teeth together.

4. Problems speaking
Mispronouncing words or unclear speech may not only point to intellectual difficulties but could also mean that your child’s bite is misaligned. Correcting this can help your child to better adapt to academic and social situations.

5. Protruding teeth
This can be as a result of an overbite or underbite which not only affects your child’s overall appearance but causes wear on their teeth over time. This can be fixed with braces.

6. Chewing difficulties
“Bad chewing” may not always be a nasty habit but it could point to the fact that your child’s teeth and jaw are not functioning the way they should. This could be due to a variety of reasons, including a problem with their bite.

Essentially, only an orthodontist can tell you whether or not your child requires orthodontic treatment. Early orthodontic treatment can begin from seven years old, before the eruption of permeant teeth. The treatment aims to correct and influence your child’s jaw development, face symmetry, reduce the need for extractions, eliminate crowding and reduce wear on your child’s teeth by correcting their bite.

Read more: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PHASE 1 ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT

How to Know if your Child Needs Braces South East Orthodontics

Book an appointment today to find out more from our friendly professionals.