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When should treatment start?
We suggest scheduling your child's first orthodontic evaluation at around age 7, as recommended by the American Association of Orthodontists. In many instances at this early age, we will merely be monitoring the development of your child during growth and transition of the teeth - while the deciduous teeth are falling out and the permanent teeth are emerging - to make sure that the teeth are developing normally.
At this age, however, there are a few situations which may necessitate treatment, for example under-bites, cross-bites that can lead to asymmetric facial growth, crowded or severely misplaced teeth, difficulty chewing or biting, speech problems, or mouth breathing.
Early intervention may avoid the need for extractions of permanent teeth in the future, can guide jaw growth, and create more space for crowded teeth, and often make later treatment simpler and of a shorter duration.
What are the signs that my child needs braces?
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Protruding upper teeth - commonly referred to as an overbite, the most common orthodontic problem. In many patients, overbite is the result of a recessive or small lower jaw that gives a "weak chin" appearance. |
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Open bite - If you have this, you can stick your tongue between the upper and lower front teeth when the back teeth are in contact. |
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Cross-bite - The upper back teeth fit inside the lower teeth, instead of outside. |
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Deep bite - This condition occurs when the upper teeth cover more than about 2mm of the lower teeth. In extreme cases, the lower front teeth are covered completely by the upper front teeth when you bite down on your back teeth. |
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Under-bite - The upper front teeth bite behind the lower front teeth. |
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Spacing - gaps between upper or lower teeth. |
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Crowding - There is insufficient space for the upper or lower teeth, which causes them to overlap each other. |
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Dr Mark Wertheimer 011 783 7171 
