It is important for young children to undergo orthodontic screening between the age of 7-9 years. This screening helps to identify developing bite or jaw problems; by having the assessment completed early, it may be treated early and does not allow the condition to worsen or create more complex treatment in the future.
e.g., child finding it hard to close their lips together, or lower lips is trapped behind upper front teeth. Our patients have reported feeling insecure, or being teased at school. It may also increase risk of injury from contact sports and games.
Lower front teeth are biting in front of upper teeth. Treating this early, reduces the need for extensive treatment like jaw surgery. Treatment before the age of 10 proves to have the best success.
One of the most obvious signs are upper crowded front teeth. You may observe your frequently has a blocked nose, and as a result breathes through his/her mouth. Our patients parents have reported improvements in breathing through nose after upper expander treatment.
May be caused by trauma or tooth decay. The adjacent teeth may start leaning into the space, and therefore, the adult tooth does not have enough room to erupt.
May lead to permanent teeth wear. If this is left until all the adult teeth have erupted, it can lead to uneven wear of front teeth edges and may mean additional cosmetic dental treatment.
If still present after the age of 4 years old, can lead to jaw and teeth problems developing. May also cause an overbite forming between the front teeth.
May be evident e.g., the tooth on the right side has erupted. At other times, the presence of this can only be picked up through an X-ray.