FREE Invisalign consultation including iTero scan

The Right Age to Take your Child to an Orthodontist
16 Jan 2023

The Right Age to Take your Child to an Orthodontist

As a parent it is important to stay informed on the oral health needs of your child. This means they must know about the tooth development process and when a kid needs to go for orthodontic assessment of wearing braces. With a quick evaluation, the method of getting the right braces for your kid will be smooth and of course, require less time. There are reputable centers for orthodontic care in London where you can take your child for teeth straightening.

Baby teeth begin to emerge when your little one is only six months old. These teeth fall out in due course and get replaced by the permanent adult teeth. If your child has misaligned permanent teeth, it may lead to problems in their bite and appearance. It is advisable that you get in touch with an orthodontist in London who will help you understand the right time for your child needs to undergo orthodontic treatment.

The cause behind orthodontic problems

Your little one may suffer from orthodontic problems due to various reasons. Some of these include:

  • Overcrowded teeth
  • Too much space between the teeth
  • Improper growth of jaws
  • Protruding teeth
  • Bad bite
  • Mouth injury
  • Early or late loss of baby teeth
  • Thumb sucking

With early orthodontic treatment, your child will have less chance of tooth extraction or surgery in future. A good time to seek orthodontic care remedy issues developing in the future is between the ages of seven and eight.

When your child needs orthodontic treatment

Even though the way of developing permanent teeth may vary from one person to the other, kids usually start losing their baby teeth when they are around five years old. This is the right time when you should take your child for an orthodontic evaluation to know if they need to wear braces.

Your little one will begin losing baby teeth when they are five years old and have permanent teeth by the age of thirteen. Even if they may not be having all permanent teeth, an orthodontist will be able to understand the growth pattern of their molars. However, if your child seems not to have the perfect set of teeth, they may be face problems like:

  • Misaligned permanent teeth
  • Cross bites or deep bites
  • Crowding of teeth
  • Overlapping of upper and lower jaw

Other factors that may help you decide when you need to take your little one to an orthodontist are:

  • Difficulty in biting and chewing
  • Breathing from mouth
  • Sucking thumb after five years
  • Improper speech

Identifying the potential problems when your child is young will enable the orthodontist to intervene before they become severe. These problems are subtle and your orthodontist will be able to identify and treat issues of malocclusion in time.

Many parents do not fully understand if their little one actually needs to go for an orthodontic treatment. Thus, you should get a complete evaluation done by an orthodontist once your child develops permanent teeth and know if there is any need for braces.