A straight smile isn’t just more aesthetically-pleasing. Proper tooth placement directly affects your overall oral and physical health, from allowing you to easily clean your teeth to developing healthy habits, or even being able to properly chew your food.
It’s why the American Association of Orthodontists actually recommends taking kids in for a consultation at around 7 years old.
The reasoning is simple: the sooner you get orthodontic concerns addressed, the simpler the orthodontic treatment can be.
Of course, even if you don’t get your alignment issues addressed as a child, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it as an adult.
Once a child starts growing their adult teeth, it’s a good idea to go in for an orthodontic evaluation. During this appointment, the orthodontist evaluates the child’s growing teeth, gums, and even their jaw bone.
This allows you to stop any concerning issues like crooked teeth right away, since they are a bit more visible. Moreover, orthodontists are trained to identify even more subtle issues, such as improper jaw alignment or gaps between teeth. Based on that initial assessment, they can create an effective treatment plan to help the child’s teeth grow healthy and in the proper position.
The benefits of taking a child to an early assessment can include:
Maybe you didn’t have the chance to see an orthodontist as a child, for whatever reason. In these cases, when should you book a consultation?
The short answer is: any time.
While many bite and alignment issues are easier to treat during childhood, it doesn’t mean you won’t have a lot of success with treatment as an adult. There are many different types of treatments available to you:
Like with the early orthodontic assessment, adults will also have to schedule a consultation with an orthodontist to get their teeth thoroughly inspected. Based on what they find, the orthodontist will establish the appropriate treatment plan for your specific case.
Unfortunately, treatment lengths can be longer for adults than for children, and may even require a combination of interventions such as braces, surgery, or even permanent extractions. Even so, with the right treatment plan, you can get the results you want at any age.
Whether you want to bring your child for an early assessment or want to address some alignment issues for yourself, Dr. John Walsh is happy to help with quality orthodontic services for people of all ages.
To get started, book your first orthodontic consultation at Great Bay Orthodontics online.
For more information, call us at (603) 318-2602 for a short chat.
