Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Orthodontics is an option at any age

People normally think of teenagers when they think of braces. But today, there are both younger children as well as adults undergoing orthodontic treatment, and many more who would benefit from improving their bites and appearance.

Early evaluation

"When should my child get braces?"

This is one of the most common questions dentists and orthodontists hear. Because each child's mouth is different, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic screening by age 7.

"Many orthodontic problems are easier to correct if detected early rather than treating when jaw growth has slowed," according to the AAO's Web site. "Unfortunately, many parents assume they must wait until a child has all of his or her permanent teeth, only to find out that treatment would have been much easier if started earlier."

Very often, a child's parents will be able to notice the more common conditions requiring orthodontic intervention. An early evaluation allows the orthodontist to see and treat developing problems, and when there are no problems, it can reassure parents that no treatment is needed, and when another evaluation may be scheduled.

Look for these signs that orthodontic treatment may be needed:

Buck tooth appearance.

Excessive crowding or spacing.

Underbite or crossbite.

Persistent thumb sucking.

Difficulty chewing.

Open mouth breathing.

Delayed eruption of a permanent tooth.

Obvious abnormal bite development of any kind.

Poor self-esteem or self-conscious due to appearance of the teeth.

Palatal expansion

One of the reasons orthodontists are recommending an evaluation at age 7 is that if necessary, the expansion of the upper jaw (palate or maxilla) is easily done at about that age. Many times, appropriate palatal expansion can make enough room in a crowded mouth so that future extraction of permanent teeth will not be required.

Some signs that widening using a rapid maxillary expander may be recommended are:

Very crowded teeth, especially overlap or rotation of the front teeth.

Narrow appearance to the jaws with the teeth not fully "filling in" the smile.

Crossbite of the back teeth (upper teeth have a narrower arch width than the lowers).

Delayed eruption of the incisors (more than 6 months since the baby teeth were lost) after age 7.

Previous or active thumb sucking habit.

When the upper teeth are too narrow, the lower teeth usually are crowded as well because they are attempting to adapt to the narrow arrangement of the upper chewing surfaces. When the upper is widened, the lower also often can be successfully widened, allowing for alignment of these teeth.

Traditional teen orthodontics

Most adolescents today are very agreeable when they are going to get braces. Unlike the fully banded metal mouth appearance common in the 1960s, braces today are smaller, more comfortable, and some components come in a variety of colors.

"It's a fashion statement, or an expression of individuality," says Dr. Michael Mahaffey of Peachtree City.