Orthodontics

"A beautiful smile is a priceless gift. And it's one every parent can give their child. By starting orthodontic treatment at an early age and reshaping the jaws while they're still growing, you'll be putting your child on the road to a lifetime of excellent oral health."

When To Start Treatment

Visits from the Tooth Fairy and the loss of those first few baby teeth are major milestones for you and your child. They're signs your little bundle of joy is growing up. They're also an indication that it's time to begin paying serious attention to that precious smile.

There was a time when orthodontists waited until all of a child's permanent teeth had come in before proceeding with any orthodontic treatment. But those days are long gone. Thanks to advances in orthodontics, children are now treated as young as 5, 6, and 7 years of age, and the results are outstanding!

By beginning treatment at an earlier age, Mid-Valley Dental Care can use simple appliances to reshape or widen your child's jaws before they're fully developed. He's naturally changing the jaw's growth pattern to accommodate all of your child's permanent teeth. There's no discomfort. No surgery. It's an amazingly simple and painless process. One that, in the long run, can save your child from having permanent teeth pulled and having his or her profile forever altered.

Advantages to Early Treatment

Mid-Valley Dental Care has found several advantages to starting your child's orthodontic treatment at a young age. They include:

Making room for the permanent teeth to come in naturally and lessening the likelihood of extraction by widening or reshaping the jaws during their growing years, rather than waiting until they're fully developed.
Creating a more balanced and even more pleasing profile.
Allowing your child to have the bulk of orthodontic work performed at an age when he or she is more receptive, enthusiastic and cooperative, and less self-conscious about his or her appearance.
Reducing the "second phase" of treatment or the amount of time spent in braces (often to as little as a year or less) which takes place closer to the teen years.
Lessening and/or eliminating the chance of jaw surgery at a later date. Once the jaws are fully developed, their shape can only be altered surgically.
Improving the function and development of facial muscles.
Increasing the stability of the teeth.
Reducing your child's self consciousness during those critical early teen years by giving them straight front teeth.

Look For These Warning Signs

Of course, not every child needs orthodontic treatment. So, how do you know if yours' does? The best way is to make an appointment with Mid-Valley Dental Care and bring your child in for a free consultation. You can also look for any one of the following warning signs:

Baby teeth with no space between them.
Upper teeth that protrude or stick out over the lower teeth.
Lower teeth that overlap the upper teeth.
Upper and lower teeth that don't meet.
Lower teeth that are not visible when your child smiles.
Thumb or finger sucking which often causes teeth to become misaligned.
Mouth breathing.
Frequent headaches and/or earaches.
Difficulty in chewing food.
Permanent teeth that are coming in crooked or crowded.
Grinding teeth.

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