Orthodontic Treatments: When to Start?

When baby teeth come off and permanent teeth start to erupt, parents start worrying – “What if my child will have crooked teeth?” This is the biggest problem and fear of parents who also have crooked teeth themselves.

The lower incisors erupt behind baby teeth and in a V shape. In addition, there are ruffles at the tips of these.

The upper incisors, unlike their lower counterparts, erupt in front of baby teeth. They also have the ruffles at the tips. Both occurrences are perfectly normal. Lower teeth twist toward the front with tongue pressure, while upper ones twist toward the back due to the pressure of lips. The ruffles at the tips of teeth are “developmental ruffles”. They straighten out after the eruption. Mixed teething starts at the age o 7 and ends at the age of 12. The looks of the teeth of their children during this period worry their parents and they want to start orthodontic therapy as soon as possible. Though, the best age to start an orthodontic therapy is determined by your dentist.

Growth and development also affects the movement of teeth. Starting orthodontic therapy earlier than you should will lengthen the treatment period, as well as increase the costs.

If the crookedness is due to the relation between jaws, for example, for kids with their lower jaws sticking out, orthodontic therapy is needed as soon as possible to stop the lower jaw from developing further forwards.

Early intervention is also required when the relation between jaws is normal, but there is a teeth that is more toward the front or the back when compared to the other teeth in a child’s mouth, a phenomenon that we call “Single-tooth side transversal relations”.

In the case of an extreme crookedness, or teeth sticking out (buckteeth), if the child is being criticized, or even bullied, for their teeth, early orthodontic treatments may help them. If the crookedness reoccurs during their teenage years, a short “re-treatment” program may be prepared.

To generalize orthodontic treatments, most of them are performed between ages 9 and 14. The duration of therapy varies, regarding the progress between years 1-5 of a child, as well as their development.

A statistically-significant correlation has been discovered between ages and the duration of therapy.

Have a dentist examine your children when their baby teeth come off and their permanent teeth start to erupt, but lose the worry that your children will grow to have crooked teeth.

PROTECTIVE ORTHODONTY

Protective orthodonty aims to help us take precautions against signs of crookedness, or eliminate the causes behind crookedness.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BABY TEETH: Baby teeth are natural placeholders for permanent teeth. This is why they should not be removed before their time to come off. They need to be strengthened through fluoride applications and filled when they decay. The habit of brushing teeth should be taught to children when they are 2 years of age.

PLACEHOLDERS: When baby teeth are lost earlier than they should, the development of the tooth below the lost baby tooth should be assessed. If the permanent tooth is 2/3 underdeveloped, the neighboring teeth will shift into this area, causing crookedness.

This is why lost baby teeth should be compensated with placeholders.

LOSING BAD HABITS: Thumb-sucking, sucking pacifiers, biting into pens (especially for school children) and other habits alike, have a negative impact on developing muscles and cause the V-shape to occur, as well as a failed occlusion of incisor teeth even when the jaws are closed together.

Sucking is a natural instinct. Habits like sucking thumbs should not be extinguished via really radical methods.

For children with such habits, you need something else with which the habit will be replaced, you need to distract these children. If the habit develops into a topic of criticism and bullying, it will become permanent.

RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS: Upper respiratory tract infections are frequently encountered, especially by toddlers. Adenoid growth, nasal congestion force a child to breathe through their mouth.

Nasal respiration should be encouraged. You should ensure that the nose of your child is congestion-free and their room is aired and humidified as appropriate. If adenoid growth is an issue, you should get help from ear-nose-throat experts.

The most important point to note here is that after a long-lasting flu infection, your child may get used to oral respiration. So, when you are sure that their nose is congestion-free, you should gently push close their mouth while they sleep, to extinguish the behavior.

ERUPTION GUIDANCE: The children whose teeth take after their mothers while their jaws take after their fathers, or vice versa, are candidates for crooked teeth. X-ray analyses help determine their future in this case.

Just like 5 people failing to fit into a car for 4, crookedness occurs when teeth that are too wide for jaws erupt. In this case, removing the 1st Premolar tooth as soon as it erupts solves the crookedness issue.

SIMPLE OCCURENCES OF CROOKEDNESS: These occur when a tooth is before or behind its destined space on a jawline. They are resolved with some mobile apparels that are used to change their direction.

Growth and Development are like a flowing river. Their energy may be shaped positively, with sets and dams. This is how protective orthodonthy resolves issues of crookedness or jaw anomalies.