Why Does My Child Need Braces If Baby Teeth Are Temporary? 

Raising a family can be amazingly rewarding and at the same time, challenging and confusing. If only babies came with instructions. Most of the confusing times are all about knowing when to do what. Some things, like the timeline for well visits and recommended immunizations, are pretty straightforward. 

But then there’s the gray area for things like your child’s first orthodontist visit or when you should be concerned about crooked teeth. Should you wait until your child loses their baby teeth? Duval Orthodontics recommends scheduling an appointment when their final baby teeth are loose.

Orthodontic evaluation by age 7

While it may seem bewildering to contemplate braces when your child still has baby teeth, there’s no magic age for getting braces. Orthodontic treatment can move healthy teeth into ideal alignment at almost any age. Getting a jump on understanding potential issues presents more options for effective and efficient orthodontic treatment.  

Children should visit an orthodontist for an evaluation no later than age 7 as recommended by the American Association of Orthodontists. However, if your child has problems chewing or issues like an overbite or underbite, you may want to come in earlier to have it checked out.

Keep in mind that bringing your child to your orthodontist for an evaluation doesn’t mean it’s inevitable that your child will begin active treatment. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine if a potential issue is developing, and if there is, establish a future treatment plan. 

Advantages of early treatment

When treatment begins while your child has a mix of baby and permanent teeth, their jaw and face are still growing, offering more flexibility and treatment options than if they were older.

Similar to medical issues, early evaluation and treatment have many distinct advantages when it comes to orthodontics, including:

• Preventing abnormal swallowing or speech issues
• Guiding optimal jaw growth and incoming permanent teeth
• Manipulating jaw growth to create enhanced facial symmetry  
• Mitigating crowding issues by creating room for incoming teeth    
• Saving space for teeth that haven’t come in yet
• Reducing the need for extractions before treatment
• Shortening overall treatment time 

Keeps problems from developing into complex issues

Another way to think about optimal timing for your child’s orthodontic treatment is that crooked or misaligned teeth don’t fix themselves, regardless of how long you wait. But that’s not all. The longer you wait, the greater the risk of a problem becoming a complicated issue that takes more time and money to resolve.

Dr. Duval can address the issue promptly if he evaluates your child and detects developmental problems, such as severely crowded teeth or a narrow jaw that prevents permanent teeth from erupting normally. He may prescribe an orthodontic appliance to mitigate issues before your child gets braces.

Particular orthodontic issues that get treated when your child still has some baby teeth include:

• Underbites
• Crossbites
• Gapped or excessively spaced teeth
• Missing or extra teeth
• Issues with teeth that don’t meet or meet abnormally

If you’re concerned about issues with your child’s teeth or jaws, call Duval Orthodontics for an orthodontic evaluation by contacting the office in Warner Robins or Albany, Georgia, or book an appointment online. We thoroughly examine your child’s teeth and jaws and address any questions that you and your child may have regarding recommended treatment.