Early Treatment typically begins around age eight. The goal of Phase I treatment is to correct the skeletal growth of the jaw, and other bite issues. It also assist in creating adequate space for permanent teeth to come in properly, and thus lessening the chance of needing permanent teeth extracted in the future due to space issues.
Some clinicians may prefer to defer orthodontic treatment to the adolescent age period, however many others attempt to intervene in the mixed dentition to eliminate or reduce skeletal, dento-alveolar and neuro-muscular disharmonies.
As in all clinical disciplines of dentistry, a thorough examination of a patient’s orofacial structures, along with the stage of skeletal and social maturity, is required to identify the best cases for early orthodontic intervention.
BENEFITS OF EARLY INTERVENTION INCLUDE:
- Alleviating future, and possibly more invasive dental correction
- Decreasing the risk of damage to erupting teeth
- Correcting bite problems before they cause further damage to the developing jaw
- The ability to improve your child’s appearance
- Increasing self-esteem and confidence in your child
- Correction of habits that may disrupt development, such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting
- Guide the growth of the jaw to accommodate emerging permanent teeth
- Prevent the need for extractions of permanent teeth, or surgery in the future
- Gaining space for erupting teeth
- Correct certain habits like thumb or finger sucking
- Eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech patterns
- A better prognosis for how the permanent teeth will develop
- Lowering the risk of damage to any protruding teeth
- The ability to improve your child’s appearance
- Creating a more pleasing and functional arrangement of teeth, lips and face
