The consensus of opinion used to be that orthodontic treatment was best introduced after the permanent teeth had erupted, but in more recent years industry professionals have come to consider interceptive orthodontics as an alternative therapy. Interceptive orthodontics is performed in stages starting when the patient is around the age of seven years instead of the traditional tween and early teen years.
Treatments include procedures that will allow more room for permanent teeth to come in as they should. Interceptive orthodontics can also intervene to prevent some forms misalignment in the way the teeth come together when we bite down, or how the upper and lower jaws align. If teeth are left to crowd together it will be even harder to brush and floss properly in order to remove any leftover particles of food that can lead to the accumulation of cavity causing bacteria. Protruding teeth are naturally more exposed and so are more likely to suffer some kind of trauma.
The ultimate goal of interceptive orthodontic treatment is to interrupt the development of problems before they can become more serious and require more extensive procedures, with the eventuality of having to have a full set of braces applied at some point. Removing baby teeth that refuse to come out on their own and using space maintainers to reserve the space left by premature loss of a baby tooth are common preventive measures associated with interceptive orthodontics.
One of the orthodontic appliances that are incorporated in the treatment are used to encourage the lower jaw to a more forward position and hold it in place. It is installed to stay until removed by your pediatric dentist. A form of headgear may be fitted to a patient to direct the development of the upper jaw and prevent the upper teeth from the tendency to protrude. This device can be taken off and put on by the patient as advised by his dentist.
Epic Dentistry for Kids was named in a list of top pediatric dentists in Aurora for six years consequently. Find out more about this highly respected practice on their website, epicdentistryforkids.com.
