There’s nothing brighter than a child’s unrestrained smile. As we go through our earliest years, our bodies undergo incredible change and development. Our oral structures, from jaws, gums, and palettes to teeth, are already preparing our adult smiles. Before we’re even born, we develop the teeth that will be with us for the rest of our lives. This means there’s no time to waste to start maintaining a routine of proper dental health care. From proper dental hygiene to being proactive about planning for our oral health future, there are steps we can take to ensure a beautiful smile down the road. By the time we’re seven years old, we can discern particular oral health concerns that may be developing within our jaw. This is why Kids World Pediatric encourages parents to bring their children in for an orthodontic screening after their seventh birthday.
Is Seven Old Enough To Get Braces For My Child?
Your child won’t be ready to receive orthodontic care at seven years of age. However, this is the perfect time to determine if they’ll require it when their adult teeth start coming in. Their teeth are already preparing to replace their baby teeth, and this gives insight into what can be expected when they do. This allows our team to take steps to ensure that these concerns are mitigated before they become prominent and take steps to guarantee a straight and healthy adult smile. It all starts with an orthodontic assessment visit between the ages of seven and nine. During this visit, there are a few things that will be covered:
- Overcrowding – Your child’s developing teeth will be checked to ensure there’s enough space for all available teeth to come in safely. When overcrowding occurs, the teeth will often be shifted out of position and become misaligned, crooked, or even cracked as the adult teeth jockey for position. This is generally addressed by strategically removing teeth to ensure a healthy and beautiful smile with plenty of room for all remaining teeth.
- Jaw Misalignment – Malocclusion occurs when our teeth don’t line up naturally. While overcrowding can be one cause of this condition, it can also result in our jaw being out of alignment. This misalignment is the cause of conditions like crossbite, overbite, and underbite. The earlier steps are taken to align the jaw properly, the easier it is to restore a natural alignment in the jaw. Unaddressed alignment can lead to uneven wear on the teeth, difficulty eating and speaking clearly, and joint pain down the road.
- Personal Habits – Thumb sucking, mouth breathing, and tongue thrusting are all things that can deleteriously affect the formation of your adult smile. Some steps can be taken to address these habits or discern the cause of mouth breathing and manage it.
Using this and other information, our team will discuss the potential treatment options to ensure your child’s smile develops correctly by addressing these concerns early.
Contact Kids World Pediatric Dental To Learn More
If you’re ready to proactively address your child’s developing dental health, call us today at (210) 787-1200 to schedule your next visit. We’ll see you at our office in San Antonio, TX, and begin discussing the path of your child’s future oral health.