According to the American Association of Orthodontists, your child should be evaluated for orthodontic treatment by age 7-9 years. You may wonder why we think about orthodontics before the adult teeth are in place. While your child is actively growing, we have the opportunity to guide the growth, reducing the treatment needed as a teen.

You or your general dentist may notice problems such as overbites, narrow jaws, and crowded teeth that are of concern and need to be evaluated by the orthodontist. Dr. Souris can examine your child and look for jaw problems and lack of space for teeth that may benefit from an EARLY PHASE OF ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT. This “preventive” correction can help eliminate the need for long difficult treatments in the later teen years. We use early intervention to try to avoid pulling of adult teeth or jaw surgery.  Keep in mind, however, that there is a limited window of opportunity to correct these problems while your child is actively growing and loosing the remaining baby teeth.  If Dr. Souris does not find any significant problems, your child can then be treated as needed during the early teen years.

If you feel your child may have problems with their teeth or jaws or have difficulty chewing, please contact us to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION!