Interceptive orthodontic treatment is the pre-diagnosis of children’s future dental complications like crowded teeth, overbites, jaw deformities, and underbites. The core purpose of this treatment is to predict, identify, prevent and manage the health issues associated with an individual’s dental formula. Once in adulthood, the dental complications are likely to turn detrimental, especially when poorly treated. The good news is that with interceptive orthodontic, you can treat the dental issues before they cause adverse consequences. Moreover, it is vital to treat potential dental complications before the development of permanent adult teeth. The pros of ensuring your child undergoes orthodontics treatment massively outweigh its cons.
To improve the future dental formula, interceptive orthodontic treatment employs removable appliances that can easily fix the teeth. For instance, if your child happens to lose a primary tooth due to decay, trauma, or congenital reasons, they must use space maintainers for treatment purposes. Also known as spacers, space maintainers are customized metal appliances designed to fit your child’s specific dental formula and needs. They are discreet, tiny, and many children quickly adapt to wearing them within the first few weeks. Before you put up your child for this treatment, you will want to know what to consider and the potential benefits of interceptive orthodontics. Here are further details.
Spacers
Sometimes a baby could lose her tooth too soon. After the loss, other teeth close to the lost one will naturally begin craving to replace the vacant space left. Teeth on the opposite jaw could follow this drifting pattern to move up and down to fill the gap. This movement causes adjacent teeth to move into the vacated space thus, resulting in a lack of adequate space for the formation of permanent teeth. If left untreated for too long, the permanent teeth become crooked, ruining a child’s dental formula. Crooked teeth come with several disadvantages. For instance, the chances of developing infections are high, as crooked teeth are challenging to clean. The crookedness creates hidden spots that contribute to the build-up of bacteria.
Space maintainers work by maintaining the previously occupied spaces created by the missing teeth. Without space maintainers, your child might not be capable of managing the impacts of the space loss. These spacers can stay in the child’s mouth as long as deemed fit. Dental experts can remove the maintainers once the child comes of age to allow permanent teeth to grow without causing any dental health complications. It is pertinent to be patient at this stage because some children could take up to 14 years before the spacers are safe for removal.
Spacers Special Care
Braces for children require special attention, care, and maintenance lest they cause further harm to the child’s well-being. Some essential tips to consider once your child is up for spacers’ use include:
- Frequent and regular dental visits to keep track of previous and possible future dental complexities
- Avoid chewing gum, sticky sweets, and any other sticky foods.
- Brushing carefully and consciously.
- Frequent flossing.
- Avoid pushing the spacers using your tongue and, or fingers.
- In case the spacers break or default in any way, do not attempt repair. Instead, call Victory Plaza Dental Group; we will solve all of your dental concerns.
Interceptive Orthodontics/ Phase 1 Orthodontics
Phase 1 orthodontics is the first stage for diagnosing children’s teeth problems. This phase prevents the possible occurrence of the same dental issues in adulthood. The whole objective of this level of treatment is to allow the doctor to prepare the children’s jaw for the eventual accommodation of permanent teeth in adult life. Once the teeth have clear signs of maturity in adulthood, the specialized orthodontic rectifies the apparent deformities. This teeth correction marks the beginning of phase 2 of the dental deformities’ management protocol. Many orthodontists prefer handling the situation at phase 2, forgetting that if phase 1 was poorly executed, phase 2 would be impossible to manage. While phase 2 is widely known, experts recommend adhering to the principles of both phases 1 and 2 for maximum efficiency during tooth rectification.
How to Tell if Your Child is up for Phase 1 Orthodontics
- The child displays difficulties when biting, chewing, or during their speech time
- When the child is aged seven but there are reasonable misalignment and crowding instances in the mouth.
- When the child experiences severe skeletal complications like an underbite, overbite, crossbite, and even openbite.
- The front primary teeth are too protruding, this is a high-risk threat to injury.
- The baby lost its teeth long before childhood due to injury or decay.
Children and their Baby Teeth
As a concerned and loving parent, you might worry that a baby is losing their teeth faster than they can grow them back. You are wondering whether they need the teeth in the first place because interceptive orthodontics treatment can help rectify the situation before it is too late. The good news is that in some instances, the orthodontist has no option but to allow the baby’s teeth to grow before initiating the treatment. Depending on your child, growing teeth could come early or later. Every child is unique. However, some children do not have to wait for their teeth to grow; they can begin treatment as soon as possible. This will prevent incoming teeth from growing out of position and help minimize spaces that might exist therein due to teeth losses.
Reasons for Early Orthodontics for Children
Pre-diagnosis Value
The idea that adults can prevent dealing with the impacts of health challenges caused by dental complications during their childhood years is bright and valid. Considering that the treatment procedure poses more benefits than risks, pre-diagnosis value is one of the primary reasons you want to consider interceptive orthodontic treatment.
Ideal Prevention Method
Orthodontics is an excellent treatment option because it offers the patients a chance to prevent a health issue. Instead of allowing tooth decay or crooked dental formulas to occur before grappling for solutions, the best pediatric dentist in town can help avoid any chance of its occurrence.
Dental Issues that Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment can Fix
Crowded Teeth
Crowded teeth occur due to inadequate space for permanent teeth to grow as anticipated. Arch expansion creates room for spacers to brace the teeth until further notice.
Mis-aligned Jaws
The upper and the lower jaws may move in contrasting trajectories thus, causing unforeseen misalignments. Jaw modification therapy is the ideal treatment to get the jaws back in line.
Missing Teeth
You can treat missing teeth by replacing them with new false teeth. If closing the spaces created by lost teeth does not work, fake teeth do the magic just fine.
Risks of Failing to Seek Early Treatment
If you delay diagnosing the child’s dental deformities within the appropriate initial stage, it might be too late to ensure the safety of phase 2 orthodontics. The adult teeth will have to be removed as soon as the child comes of age if it goes wrong. Suppose the patient had received ideal interception, he would have avoided unnecessary medical and financial costs at a later development stage. Adults are more likely to have their teeth revert into their initial positions because they did not access efficient phase 1 orthodontics management.
When to take Your Child to an Expert Orthodontist
Under the age of seven years, it is almost impossible to tell your child’s dental future, and that is why doctors recommend that until the child is eight, you can only observe. Once they hit eight years, you can take them for an official examination of their teeth and jaws by a competent orthodontist. Most countries, including the United States and the U.K, have strict no later than 7-8 years for the earliest diagnosis for teeth complications. The next five years are crucial for examining and developing the child’s ability to handle the treatment.
Benefits of Early Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment
When you visit our branch of the Children Dentist in North Hollywood and trace Victory Plaza Dental Group, here are the benefits your loved ones and you will enjoy.
- A beautiful smile.
- Facial asymmetry correction with the help of jaw alignment and growth.
- Boosted self-esteem and self-confidence
- Minimized trauma risk as a result of shifting protruding teeth into place.
- Solving all chewing, speaking, and biting difficulties
- Easing the possibility of future teeth decay treatment.
- Creating adequate space in the mouth for the growth of permanent teeth.
Call to Action: Children Dentist in North Hollywood
Typically, teeth complications are rampant due to several reasons. Many children experience teeth complications, but not all of them are lucky enough to access quality healthcare services. Interceptive orthodontic treatment is perfect for preventing and managing dental deformities at an early childhood developmental stage. If you are a parent looking for braces for children, do not hesitate to visit us, the best children dentist in town. We offer all types of dental health solutions, no matter how complex. Our consultation services are available 24/7, and we pledge our professionalism in helping you smile brilliantly. We offer nothing but the best, and all you have to do is reach us.