Wondering if your child will need braces?
There are things that all parents worry about with regard to the long-term health of their children. After all, we all only get one pair of eyes, ears, feet, arms and 2 sets of teeth. The second set have to last for decades and decades though, so having good, strong, straight teeth is important.
Are you wondering if your child is going to have teeth that last really well? And what can you do to support the longevity of their teeth? Well, at home it means setting a good example with oral hygiene, and having to stand over your kids at the bathroom basin twice a day, every day, for the first several years of their lives. Apart from that, one of the most important things you can do for your kids is check out whether they will need orthodontics, and if so, make sure they get them.
Orthodontics is the dental name for that area of dentistry that deals with correcting crooked teeth and misaligned bites. Here at The Old Windsor Dental Practice in Berkshire, Dr Emmett Hegarty is our orthodontist.
He offers orthodontic check-ups so that parents can find out if their child is going to need some kind of braces or other treatment to bring their teeth into alignment, and possibly also their jaws.
With digital x-rays and scans, it is now possible to see how adult teeth are going to come through before they actually do, and to plan for what lies ahead.
Orthodontic check-ups are carried out on children as young as 7, just as the adult teeth are about to come through. This means that, if necessary, treatment can start from around the age of 9, and teeth can be guided into place.
How long the treatment will take depends upon the complexity and severity of the issues. Mild misalignments may only take weeks or months. More complex or severe issues can take a couple of years.
While teeth can be straightened at any age, jaws that need remodelling to comfortably accommodate all the teeth need to be worked on before the bone sets hard at around age 18.
To find out more, please ring and ask about a consultation.
