Today, our orthodontists talk to you about the age your child can begin having orthodontic treatment.
Each child has a smile that is unique and beautiful - especially your child! You may want to know how old your kid has to be to begin orthodontic treatment, in order to get the best results possible.
There is no exact answer to this question, as it depends on the severity of your child's bite or jaw misalignment. In the past, it was normal for orthodontists to hold off on orthodontic treatment until a child was in their teenage years (between 12 and 14 years of age). This was done to give permanent teeth time to erupt. However, this method often leads to permanent teeth being extracted to give teeth room to move
Nowadays, our orthodontists approach orthodontic treatment differently. With interceptive orthodontics, we can start treating kids that are as young as 7 to 11 years old. The benefit of early treatment is that we are able to fix problems before they completely develop and can retain more of the adult teeth that would have had to be extracted later.
Interceptive orthodontics allows us to use orthodontic appliances (not always braces) when your kid still has baby teeth. Once their adult teeth erupt, the second phase of their orthodontic treatment can begin. This is usually when they wear braces.
Our orthodontists can assess your child's teeth and oral health to determine if they can undergo orthodontic treatment. If we are able to address your child's alignment problems with orthodontic intervention, our team will explain how treatment can have a positive outcome for your child's smile. We will discuss all of the treatment options we have available with you and establish a customized treatment plan.
