In every realm of health and medicine, catching and treating a problem early will produce a more favorable prognosis. The standard of care in orthodontics in our day and age is no different. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a child’s first orthodontic screening at the age of 7. At this age, Dr. Dayan can diagnose if any problems are beginning to occur and what the consequences may be if left untreated until the child loses all of their baby teeth.
There are certain orthodontic and bone disharmonies that benefit from early treatment procedures. These are:
• skeletal and growth disharmonies
• open-bites due to thumb-sucking or tongue-thrusting habits
• non-extraction correction of cases with borderline crowding
• prevention of canine impaction
• restoring lost space in the dental arches due to early loss of a baby tooth without space maintenance
• severe esthetic problems
• functional problems such as cross-bites or deep-bites
Treatment of these problems at early ages can produce benefits that would be more limited if treated at a later time. Such treatment usually requires a two-phase treatment program beginning with early interceptive treatment between the ages of 7-10.