Ortho for Kids - ages 5-10
Petaluma Dental Group
Petaluma Dental Group
1301 Southpoint Blvd Petaluma, CA 94954
Ortho for Kids - ages 5-10
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends seeing the orthodontist by age 7.
How to know if your child needs Orthodontics
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Early, late, or irregular loss of baby teeth
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Difficulty in chewing or biting
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Mouth breathing
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Thumb or finger sucking
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Crowded, misplaced, or blocked-out teeth
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Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude, or are recessed
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Biting the cheek or roof of the mouth
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Teeth that meet abnormally or not at all
Phase One - early evaluation between ages 5-10
Early orthodontic screening allows us to monitor growth and development of the jaw and teeth while teeth are still erupting so we can intervene to correct potential problems before they become more serious. This can save you and your child time, as well as money.
Our orthodontist can provide treatments that will allow your child's jaws and teeth to develop more optimally, minimizing the need for tooth extractions and more invasive surgical procedures later on. During this initial evaluation, our orthodontist will determine if early treatment is needed, and if so, when it should begin.
How Phase One orthodontics can help
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May reduce the need to pull permanent teeth in the future.
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Some problems that can be treated quite well in a growing child but may require corrective surgery if treatment occurs after growth ends.
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Normalize the relationship of the upper jaw to the lower jaw, especially in the case of an underbite.
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Intervene in a child’s prolonged sucking or abnormal swallowing.
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Damaging pressure can move teeth in the wrong directions and/or change the shape of the bone that supports teeth.
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Tuck in upper front teeth that stick out to reduce the risk of those teeth being broken or knocked out.
Phase Two is a resting period
During this phase, the teeth are left to develop on their own. As successful first phase will have created room for permanent teeth to emerge without creating problems. We will monitor your teeth during this phase to make sure everything is progressing as it should.
Phase Three
When most of the permanent teeth are in, usually between 10-17, it is time to begin phase three.