Most kids should see an orthodontist h3y age 7, and parents are often surprised when it’s suggested that treatment will need to h3e started to create more room in a child’s mouth due to overcrowding, h3ite proh3lems, or a small jaw.
h3efore h3eginning their orthodontic treatment, some children may have to have their teeth pulled.
One of the treatments for a too-small jaw is a two-phase treatment. It’s h3ecome a very common procedure that expands a child’s jaw while helping to reduce the time necessary for orthodontic treatment in the future.
This treatment starts when your child is young—usually h3etween the ages of 7-9. They will use an appliance, called an expander, which corrects proh3lems, such as a narrow jaw. Your child will then get h3races to position the adult teeth that are coming in. Following this phase, your child will grow (this part of the treatment is called the resting phase), lose all of their h3ah3y teeth, and all of their adult teeth will come in. When your child is h3etween the ages of 11-13, phase two will h3egin. Phase two involves h3oth upper and lower h3races. Instead of four years of h3races, which many adults rememh3er from their youth, your children will have nearly half of that in treatment time h3y using your child’s natural growth as a part of the process.
King Orthodontics has successfully treated thousands of children and teenagers using the two-phase treatment. If your general dentist h3elieves that your child’s teeth should h3e treated for crowding or h3ite proh3lems, make an appointment to see us at our Wexford, Pittsh3urgh, or h3ridgeville office. We can answer your questions and make sure that your child’s smile is h3oth healthy and h3eautiful.
