Do You Think Your Child Needs Braces?
One of the most common questions asked is “I think my child needs braces”. Childrens teeth health is vital for their long-term health. Braces are a common orthodontic treatment that helps align your teeth. However, children undergoing treatment often feel uncomfortable and lose confidence. Therefore, many parents doubt the benefits of braces.
This article will help you figure out if your child needs braces or not.
What are The Early Symptoms of Orthodontic Problems?
Notice how the upper teeth are in contact with the lower teeth, and then assess if there are any gaps between them. If a child’s teeth look perfect, then most likely they do not need orthodontic treatment.
If you notice any aesthetic disturbances, then you should not hesitate, and consult a specialist. Orthondontists are the only qualified professionals who know if your child needs braces.
How Do You Know If Your Child Needs Braces?
Here are the 7 most obvious reasons why your child may need braces:
- Mouth breathing
- Jaws that click or make other sounds
- A tendency to accidentally bite the tongue, palate, or the inside of the cheek
- Early or late loss of deciduous teeth
- Teeth that do not grow together even when the mouth is completely closed
- Crooked or crowded teeth
- Poor nutrition during infancy and early life, poor oral hygiene, and genetics are all the reasons children (and adults) may need braces.
- Overbite, when the upper teeth stick out in front of your bottom teeth
- An underbite is just the opposite, but less common. This would occur if your lower jaw protrudes further than normal.
How To Examine A Child To Determine If They Need Braces:
1. Ask your child to open their mouth and take a close look at his teeth.
Are all teeth straight? Are there gaps between teeth? Do any of the teeth intersect?
If you see any of the above signs your child definitely needs orthodontic treatment and likely that your child needs braces.
2. Ask your child to close their jaw. See if the centre of the upper front teeth matches the centre of the lower front teeth.
Do any teeth protrude beyond the line of the row of teeth? Does your child have irregular teeth? Are there any among the upper teeth that grow inside the mouth? Is there an excessive accumulation of teeth in one place?
Any of these disorders require orthodontic treatment.
3. Now let’s see if the jaws are evenly spaced together. Are all teeth positioned correctly and is your child’s jaw shifted from the centre?
You can check this by asking your child to clench his teeth together. If you see any misalignment or misalignment of the jaw it requires orthodontic treatment and may mean your child needs braces.
If you see any of the symptoms listed above, or if you are not sure, bring your child to a specialist. They will help you understand the situation. Don’t wait and hope that the problems will go away – they usually only get worse.
At What Age May My Child Need Orthodontic Braces?
Some are sure that it is better to wait until the deciduous teeth fall out and are replaced by the molars. However, in reality, you should not hesitate if your child needs braces.
The period of loss of deciduous teeth can often be delayed. It will take more money and time to correct the bite at an older age.
By the age of 8, a child should be seeing a dentist. This will allow you to find out their correct bite. This age is considered appropriate to recognise the problem and take action.
A proper treatment plan will help correct the bite during the transitional stage when molars come to replace deciduous teeth. During this period, the teeth are easiest to unfold or move and is important if your child needs braces.
Removal of milk teeth is not excluded. It is done if they hinder the correct growth of the permanent teeth.
Orthodontists at Church St Dental recommend early professional treatment of your child’s orthodontic problems. Detection of the problem on time can mean the difference between a minimally invasive procedure now and complex surgery later.
Conclusion
Braces are most often installed in childhood when the teeth are not yet resistant to correction. However, despite the fact that today more adults decide to wear braces, they were, are, and will remain, an important component of pediatric dentistry.
Determining whether your child needs braces should only be undertaken by trained professionals.
Malocclusion, dental growth anomalies, and other problems are easily solved with the help of these orthodontic appliances.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
