Orthodontic Treatment Timing

Dr. Bellard provides orthodontic treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that an orthodontic evaluation take place at age seven for all children. This early evaluation can help detect developing problems and determine the best time to begin any necessary treatment.

Do most children need early treatment? Absolutely not. In fact, most children are better off waiting until most (or all) of their primary teeth have been lost. Waiting for the primary teeth to be lost allows treatment to be done in one phase when the patient is more mature, and it reduces treatment time and cost.

Please note: Starting treatment early almost always obligates the patient to a two-phase treatment.

A second, comprehensive treatment with braces after all the primary teeth have been lost is almost always necessary later. It is important to remember that the total time and cost of two-phase treatment is always more than a single phase of treatment will be. So we choose only those patients who have severe problems, where waiting would allow things to worsen significantly, to have early treatment done.

Indications for early treatment are as follows:

• Severe bite problems that affect normal chewing function and jaw development.
• Severe protrusion that makes the upper incisors vulnerable to injury.
• Severe dental alignment problems that interfere with other teeth erupting normally.
• Severe dental alignment problems that make a psychological impact on the patient. If the patient is extremely self-conscious about the appearance of the teeth and is being teased at school, early treatment may be indicated.