Tell-Tale Signs That Your Child May Need Braces

In North America, about 4 million people wear braces and 75% of them are less than 18 years old. This means that the number of children wearing braces in the United States is on the rise. It is not uncommon as children are likely to have teeth problems as they grow up and shed their baby teeth. When your child is 7 years old, it is the best time to visit a Central Florida orthodontist and find out whether braces are the best option for their teeth problems.

An orthodontist is an expert in assessing and aligning teeth. Dr. Best, at Best Smiles Orthodontics, can recommend whether your child should get braces or not, depending on how severe your child’s jaw is misaligned. Seeking orthodontics services for your child at an early age will prevent future dental complications that could be more severe or permanent. Early orthodontic treatment will help maximize the utility of your child’s braces, should your orthodontist prescribe them.

While your orthodontist is the most qualified to recommend dental braces as the treatment for your child’s dental problems, some common signs will indicate that the child may need braces.

1. The Child’s Teeth Are Crowded

You might observe that the teeth of your child are not correctly aligned on the jaw. Some may be protruding out while some may be misplaced. This will cause your child to have problems with chewing food and may involuntarily bite the tongue more often. Teeth crowding may also cause jaw pain to the kid as a misplaced tooth can inhibit the growth of another or interfere with the baby’s teeth shedding stage. When this happens, the tooth prevented from growing will find a different route and this will continue the crowding on the jaw. Therefore, it is crucial to visit one of the four Best SmilesOrthodontics locations before it gets worse and have the kid wearing dental braces way longer into adulthood.

2. Your Child Has Malocclusion (Misaligned Jaw)

A misaligned jaw appears in the form of overbites, crossbites, and underbites. By looking at your child’s jaw, you can tell if he/she is suffering from one of the three conditions. When your child’s upper jaw is bigger than the lower jaw, he/she will have a noticeable overbite. On the other hand, if the lower jaw is bigger than the upper jaw, your child will have an underbite. For a crossbite, one or more teeth on the upper or the lower jaw are misplaced and do not align with the other teeth. These are signs that your child may need braces. You should consult Dr. Best so that the condition is fixed at the earliest possible stages.

3. If Your Child Lost Their Baby Teeth Earlier or Later Than Expected

If your child did not shed the baby teeth in the normal way, they might develop jaw misalignments. To arrest a possible jaw problem before it gets out of hand, you should seek orthodontics services while the child is still young. It is more bearable and effective for your kid to wear braces at a young age than to wear braces as an adult.

4. Your Child May Have Had an Accident

There other extreme cases, such as drastic accidents that may affect the jaw of a child. Kids, in their playful ways, may accidentally crush and maybe lose or break teeth. In such a case your child should see a Central Florida orthodontist or dentist immediately so that they can address the injury.

It is not always the case that your child will need braces to straighten teeth and align the jaw. Sometimes Dr. Best may prescribe different treatments such as the interceptive approach, where the child doesn’t have to wear braces straight away. Different orthodontists will use different techniques, approaches, and treatments to solve your child’s dental problems. While for the better part, dental braces are the go-to treatment for crooked teeth and a misaligned jaw, other times preventive treatment works. It is up to your orthodontist to assess and recommend the best treatment for your child’s dental problems.