The Importance of Orthodontic Treatment at a Young Age

Your smile is the most beautiful and personal facial expression you have. Children’s smiles are particularly pretty but only if their teeth are healthy and white. Oral hygiene is important when it comes to a well-aligned bite, without which kids cannot have a beautiful smile.

Orthodontics is an essential tool of ensuring the upper and lower teeth fit nicely together, so there is no point in postponing your kid’s dentist appointment.

The hereditary nature of orthodontic issues

Some individuals can brush their teeth several times a day and still visit the dentist more often than others. When it comes to teeth health, many issues, orthodontic ones included, are hereditary, so they are nearly impossible to avoid.

Therefore, early detection and treatment in children are vital for resolving orthodontic problems. A small invasive procedure is better than a full-scale surgery, so regular checkups are a must for children with a hereditary predisposition for dental issues.

Wearing braces in childhood

Although dentists and orthodontists appear to children as medieval torturers, the goal of their treatments is to straighten a child’s teeth so the upper and lower sets align perfectly. The best way to achieve this is to have the children as young as 6 years old wear braces.

Even though they’re sometimes uncomfortable to wear, there are multiple advantages to wearing braces early in life, i.e. in your childhood. Teeth and a jaw that are still growing, so it is easier to shape than now than in later life when the head is fully developed.

Apart from proudly “owning” a beautiful and healthy smile when they grow up, kids wearing braces will save thousands of dollars in any future orthodontic treatments. Moreover, an early orthodontic intervention (a euphemism for “braces”) will effectively prevent the developmental flaws of the jaw and teeth. If left untreated, these could lead to bad bites that are hard to correct in adulthood.

Paying the dentist a visit

The professional who will first notice that your child ought to get braces is going to be the family dentist. Children usually start paying the dentist a visit (with their parent(s), of course) around the time they start going to school, at the age of 6 or 7.

It depends on the type of practice physicians own but most dental practices, including Terrigal Dental offer orthodontics as part of their basic services. However, if the teeth need treatment or the jaw is offset, then they might ask orthodontists for assistance.

The best time to get braces?

As stated earlier, some kids get braces at the age of 6, while others wait until their early teens to start actively correcting the alignment of their teeth. However, the ideal time to start wearing braces as a child is between the age of 12 and 13.

This is the period just before children start growing rapidly, as they reach their teens. Of course, each case is different, and if your dentists estimated that your 7-year-old is it to wear braces, follow their advice.

Whatever the age they get their braces, your children are less likely to need orthodontic treatment when they grow up. Wearing braces in their 20s can be embarrassing for some youngsters.

Improved bite

The shape and the alignment of a child’s bite are important because they suck on more than toys. Namely, your kids won’t be able to eat properly and chew food unless their bite is aligned well. With a proper bite, they can eat every type of food, while a crooked bite allows prevents them from chewing oh hard foods, such as meat.

The physiological benefits

How many times have you seen a child whose braces actually add to their cuteness? When a child wears braces, there is no stigma from society, as this is seen as a positive “accessory.” However, the older the child is, the harder it is for them to wear braces in their mouth and in the thoughts.

While the braces are on, you may not look as pretty as you are hoping to, so it takes time to come to terms with your new, “impaired” smile. Small children do not experience this physiological issue, as their awareness about themselves is not yet developed.

Avoiding a speech disorder

There are numerous language and speech problems among schoolchildren. While most of these can be attributed to neurological problems, an offset bite can also impair your child’s ability to speak correctly. They will struggle with certain sounds their teeth and mouth cannot produce since they are misaligned.

We can conclude that the sooner your child undergoes orthodontic treatment, the better. Before they reach their teens, children can effortlessly wear braces, so taking them to the dentist regularly as soon as they turn 6 is highly desirable.