When it comes to orthodontics, the earlier the better. Getting your child into an orthodontist will allow for problems to be found early on in their existence. This can pay dividends in the long run. Wondering why exactly your child should seek early orthodontic treatment?
Then read on. We’re going to discuss 6 of the top reasons below.
1. Helps to Stave Off the Thumbsucking Habit
If your child is like many others, he or she sucks his or her thumb as a means of providing him or herself with comfort. This may well provide your child with the desired result. Unfortunately, it can also lead to tooth and jaw issues.
See, thumbsucking is known to have an effect on the growth of the teeth and jaws. It can cause the teeth to become crooked or, in some cases, grow in sideways.
This is one of the many reasons that your child should see an orthodontist at an early age. An orthodontist can assess whether your child’s thumbsucking habit is having an effect on his or her teeth. He or she can then teach your child ways to break the habit.
If necessary, an orthodontist can also fit your child with an anti-thumbsucking device. This could save the shape of your child’s teeth and jaws, allowing for more desirable growth over time.
2. Ensures That the Jaw Is Growing Correctly
A fairly common orthodontic issue is a jaw that grows incorrectly. The top jaw may massively overlap the bottom one. Or, the bottom jaw may overlap the top one. Or, in some cases, the two jaws might be horizontally misaligned.
This creates not only aesthetic issues but functional issues as well. For instance, if your jaws aren’t properly aligned, you could start to experience pain while chewing. As such, this is a problem that needs to be fixed.
Though it is possible to fix this problem after a person has become an adolescent, it’s easiest to fix it earlier on in a person’s life. This is one of the many reasons that early orthodontic appointments are suggested.
Having your child see an orthodontist at the age of 7 or 8 will ensure the easiest treatment possible. The orthodontist will be able to determine whether your child’s jaws are in need of treatment and will be able to facilitate that treatment before any massive problems arise.
3. Identifies Non-Erupted Teeth
The eruption of adult teeth is a seemingly random process. Some peoples’ teeth erupt at about the same time. Others’ teeth erupt at completely different times, with some teeth lagging far behind the others.
When the latter occurs, there’s a risk of the teeth erupting into the others, causing them to shift and become crooked. Once this occurs, serious orthodontic treatment is needed.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to guide non-erupted teeth, ensuring that they grow straight and leave the other teeth alone. But in order to determine whether these teeth need this treatment, you need to have them look at by an orthodontist first. So, schedule an appointment for your child and see what the situation is.
4. Saves Parents Money
Generally speaking, the earlier orthodontic treatment is administered, the cheaper it is. This is because growing teeth and jaws are easier to manipulate than are established teeth and jaws. The less time they take to treat, the less money the treatment will cost.
So, by getting your child into the orthodontist at an early age, and by assessing whether or not treatment needs to be administered, you, the parent, can end up saving money in the long run.
5. Aids In Proper Speech
Oftentimes, kids will have trouble with proper speech. In some cases, it’s a mental block that causes this problem. In other cases, however, it’s a physical issue.
Perhaps the most common physical factor leading to childhood speech impediments is crooked teeth or jaws. If the teeth or jaws are out of alignment, the mouth will have trouble moving in the way that it needs to move. This will, in turn, result in the mispronunciation of certain words and sounds.
The fix, of course, is to get braces. The earlier your child gets braces, the sooner the shape of his or her mouth will change, and the sooner he or she will be able to move past specific speech impediments.
6. Helps Improve Your Child’s Self-Esteem
The age range of 8 to 12 can be a brutal one. This is the time when kids’ insecurities start popping up. They become mindful of their perceived flaws and they suffer reduced self-esteem as a result.
A big hit to many children’s self-esteem is a mouth full of crooked teeth. After all, our society values a straight set of pearly whites.
So, by getting your child to an orthodontist early, and getting him or her the treatment he or she needs, you could be doing wonders for his or her confidence. This is bound to carry over to other parts of his or her life, inspiring positive results everywhere.
Interested in Early Orthodontic Treatment for Your Child?
What do you think? Are you interested in early orthodontic treatment for your child? If so and if you’re in Birmingham, Michigan, we here at TDR Orthodontics have you covered.
We provide a range of orthodontic services and are well-versed in treating children. We’ll do everything we can to ensure the health and aesthetics of your child’s teeth.
Contact us now to schedule an appointment!