Orthodontic treatment will help your child by:
- guiding permanent teeth into the proper positions
- improving lip closure
- reserving or gaining space for erupting permanent teeth
- reducing the potential for to jaw joint damage
- reducing the likelihood of impacted permanent teeth
- influencing proper jaw growth
- ensuring the proper width of dental arches
- improving eruption patterns
- lowering the risk of damage to protruded upper teeth
- shortening treatment time for later corrective orthodontics
- improving some speech problems
Patients of almost any age, but mostly children, can benefit from treatment for orthodontic problems. Typically, braces are worn between the ages of 10 and 14; this is the period of development in which the head and mouth are still growing and teeth are more accessible to straightening. Earlier orthodontic intervention can sometimes prevent the need for full orthodontic treatment. (If you have been advised that your child needs braces, it is very important to discuss the matter carefully with your child. It can be traumatic because of your child's sensitivity to his or her looks.) More and more adults are also wearing braces to correct minor problems and to improve their smiles.