How early should my child be placed in braces?  How do I know if my child needs braces?

This particular question always makes me a little frustrated.  Mainly because I constantly hear whispers and chatters in stores and random places of moms saying to one another, “My dentist recommended braces and my child is only 8.  I just think they are placing braces too young these days and I think they are just doing it to make more money.”

Okay.  I am a parent, so believe me, I understand the logic behind this comment.  But, being the trained professional that I also am, I have an advantage of the “inside scoop” of why things really happen.  And, when it comes to braces (and I am NOT an orthodontist, so I am completely unbiased) there are some serious considerations to examine.

For this, I need to give you a quick lesson on growth and development of children.  Children are amazing creatures and also have many advantages over us adults, especially when it comes to teeth.  Kids go through many growth spurts throughout their entire body, including their jaws.  The upper and lower jaws grow at slightly different rates, at different ages and also in different patterns and shapes.

We all get the similar end result, but with some minor to major differences depending on our genetics and other factors.  Some kids appear to get “bucked teeth” while some resemble a “bulldog,” and many other variations in between.  However, many of these problems can be corrected by simple means if addressed early in development.  Often,  an evaluation by the orthodontist, even at the age of five, can help correct problems with use of different techniques.  Some of these techniques include simple expanders, retainers, selective tooth extraction and more, thereby avoiding braces altogether.

If these problems are not addressed early, often times the only way they can be corrected later is through braces or even surgery.  Before puberty, the skeletal bones of the jaw can be easily manipulated to achieve a desirable dental and facial profile.  This can be accomplished with braces and head gear combination. Sometimes just by strategically extracting baby teeth, we can speed up the eruption of the underlying permanent teeth, which can then also be extracted.  This allows room in the jaw and alleviates future crowding.  Sometimes a combination of braces or appliances will also be used at the same time. It is actually quite complicated, but if discussed early on can be a simple process, saving everyone time, money and future heartache.

Many times we see adult patients who are embarrassed by their facial profiles and crowded teeth and disappointed when they find the only way to correct the problem now is by surgery, extensive orthodontics or costly veneers or crowns.  You may have also seen on the “Extreme Makeover” shows, the frequent use of chin implants.  This is a quick fix to avoid major jaw surgery.  This may have been avoided by an early trip to the orthodontist and a simple combination of braces and/or extractions. If we could have just taken advantage of our adolescent growth potential and ability to heal easily, we could have had the face we always wanted as an adult.

So the question then becomes, “At what age should my child have braces or see the orthodontist.”  There really is no set age and truly depends on the dental situation encountered.  I have sent children as young as five to the orthodontist, knowing that we are going to have problems in the future based on what I see now.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the child will have orthodontics at that time, but does ensure that the orthodontist and parent can plan strategically for the future.  The hope is, that most problems if evaluated early on can be fixed with the simplest, cheapest and best treatment for the child.

Tags: Amazing Creatures, braces, Bulldog, Dentist, End Result, Genetics, Growth And Development, Growth Spurts, Jaws, Moms, orthodontist, Puberty, Random Places, Retainers, Scoop, Shapes, Skeletal Bones, Tooth Extraction, Variations, Whispers