Although it is possible to straighten your teeth at any age, the best time to receive orthodontic treatment is as a child. Potential problems can be corrected at the earliest stage with braces for children, which has been proven to be beneficial in achieving the desired result, and you can avoid having to wear braces further down the line
Early, interceptive orthodontic treatment can be performed on children from 7 years old, and typically lasts between 8-12 months. It can be used to correct problems such as overbites, underbites, crowding and protruding teeth at an early stage, which can make later treatment much less complicated, or even make it possible to avoid it all together.
As recommended by the American Association of Orthodontists, Hampstead Orthodontic Practice advise that children attend their first orthodontic screening from age 7. During your child’s initial consultation, we can then evaluate front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships to detect any possible overbite, underbite, or overcrowding issues. It may be that immediate treatment, or any treatment for that matter, is not necessary. However, if treatment is needed, we can then establish a personalised orthodontic treatment plan for your child, which may include fixed or removable braces.
Early evaluation provides both timely detection of problems and greater opportunity for more effective treatment. Prudent intervention guides growth and development, preventing serious problems later. When orthodontic intervention is not required in the short term, an orthodontist can carefully monitor growth and development and begin treatment at the ideal time.
Why is age 7 considered the optimal time for screening? By the time your child is seven years old the first adult molars will have erupted, establishing the back bite. At this time, we can evaluate front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. For example, the presence of erupting incisors can indicate possible overbite, open bite, overcrowding or “gummy” smiles. Timely screening increases the chances for a wonderful smile and the avoidance of braces during the teen years.
Every patient in need of orthodontics is unique and different aligners and braces are designed to combat different conditions. Finding the right brace to fix your teeth and fit your lifestyle can be difficult. However one method to help choose is discretion vs speed.
Clear aligners are a lot more discreet with most people unaware that you ever wear one. The treatment can be lengthier, leaving you wearing the aligner for a long time, especially during complicated treatment. There are exception to this rule such as Lingual appliances that sit on the inside of the teeth and limit the brace's functionality only working to correct certain conditions.
Aligners such as Invisalign Teen are removable for sports, keeping the appliance safe and preventing the aligner from causing any damage to the teeth and gums from an impact.
For fixed appliances, your orthodontist can supply custom-made mouth guards to fit over braces, offering your child a high degree of protection, especially when playing sports. Acting like a shock absorber to spread impact force over a large area, a properly engineered mouth guard should prevent or greatly reduce the effect of any injury to the mouth area.
If your child does not meet the NHS criteria but you still wish to pursue orthodontic treatment, you can consider funding the treatment yourself on a private basis. We offer flexible finance options to facilitate funding private treatment should that be your choice.
Our specialist Orthodontic and Implant treatments are competitively priced and we also offer a range of payment plans, helping you to spread the cost of treatment
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