Dr Ali Mattar Dental Centre advises that the best time for initiating orthodontic treatment (dental braces) is usually around the age of 12.
However, there are a number of clinical situations where limited orthodontic treatment as early as eight years old may be helpful.
This early intervention is phase one of a two phase orthodontic protocol, where the second involves fixed braces.
Early orthodontics is considered for children with various clinical concerns including oral habits such as thumb sucking, early loss of milk teeth, a crossbite and jaw size discrepancies among others.
Children with oral habits such as thumb sucking, mouth breathing or tongue thrusting usually exhibit adverse changes to their teeth and jaws.
For example, a prolonged thumb sucking habit in young children can lead to an ‘open bite’, a term used to describe a situation where the upper and lower teeth are unable to meet each other.
This open bite is both aesthetically and functionally harmful for a child’s future oral health.
When identified early, the use of a simple habit-breaking appliance can eliminate it and simplify phase two treatment.
If children lose their milk teeth early due to decay or trauma, a space is left behind.
This space tends to close with the adjacent teeth moving into it, which eventually leads to lack of space for permanent teeth that were supposed to erupt and can cause crowded or impacted teeth in the future.
The term ‘impacted’ refers to teeth which are unable to erupt and remain stuck in the bone.
This situation can easily be prevented by using a space maintaining or a space regaining appliance.
A crossbite is an abnormal bite, where the upper and lower teeth are meeting in a crossed or incorrect position.
Crossbites can affect the front or back teeth.
Many factors can be responsible and early diagnosis is of paramount importance.
Untreated crossbites may force a child to close their lower jaw in the wrong position, therefore leading to future issues such as facial asymmetry.
Crossbites should be treated early with simple orthodontic appliances for remarkably beneficial results.
Early check-ups can reveal upper or lower jaw size discrepancies in children which mean that there may be an excess or reduced growth of one or both the jaws.
When identified early, these can be significantly improved by using facial growth modification appliances like headgear and facemasks, which can be initiated as early as eight or nine years of age.
If left untreated, future skeletal issues can arise and may require surgical intervention as they get older.
The ideal time to see an orthodontic is at age seven, where a professional can identify development concerns early.
Dr Ali Mattar Dental Centre is located in Gudaibiya and is open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 3.30pm to 7pm.
Call 17714877 or 17715463 for appointments.
Visit www.draliconsultgrp.com for further information.