A smile to last a lifetime

The treatment of children with braces is a special case because they are still growing.

With children orthodontic treatment often starts too late. Children begin to get adult teeth from the age of six but their face is slower to develop and so crowding of the teeth often occurs.

This crowding results in the teeth becoming crooked as the child gets older.

Orthodontic treatment with braces then becomes necessary to straighten the teeth. Conventionally, orthodontic treatment frequently requires the removal of healthy teeth.

Avoid extraction of healthy teeth

We use a form of treatment called interceptive orthodontics. This reduces the crowding of teeth in your child’s mouth and therefore avoids the extraction of healthy teeth.

Benefits of Early Interceptive Orthodontics

Interceptive orthodontic treatment is started when signs of future orthodontic problems in the mouth of a young child are diagnosed.

This progressive treatment develops and aligns the jaws and increases the bone volume. This creates the room for erupting adult teeth to come through and therefore prevents the teeth from becoming overcrowded and crooked.

Instead the result is a well balanced face and profile with a beautiful wide smile. The need for dental braces in the future is therefore usually eliminated.

Kaiya’s story

Kaiya was 8 years old when her mother approached Dr Sanghera because she had concerns regarding her daughter’s teeth. Kaiya’s had crowding of her teeth – clinically known as an ‘underbite’.

She underwent treatment with interceptive orthodontics. This resolved the problem and resulted in a beautiful wide smile.

Ideal time for assessment

The ideal time for assessment is 7 -9 years of age because specific problems can be intercepted early and treated before they have fully developed.

This prevents more serious problems developing later and makes treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated.

When is an orthodontic assessment required?

It’s not always easy for parents to tell if their child has an orthodontic problem. Here are some causes, signs or habits that may indicate the need for an orthodontic examination:

• Teeth that meet abnormally or not at all.
• Crowding, misplaced or blocked out teeth.
• Jaws and teeth that are out of proportion to the rest of the face.
• Early or late loss of baby teeth.
• Difficulty in chewing or biting.
• Mouth breathing.
• Thumb or finger sucking.

Is your child on a NHS waiting list?

Arthur House Dental Care provides orthodontic treatment on a private basis. If your child is on a long NHS waiting list and you want to have your child treated sooner, then please get in touch for a free no obligation consultation with Dr Sanghera.