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Your Child And Interceptive Orthodontic Benefits

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During your young child's oral development, some dental issues like tooth overcrowding can be attended to for preventing worsening problems later on. When the jaw bones and teeth are still developing, it can be easier to address some dental problems. Interceptive orthodontics involve applying orthodontic techniques at an early age. Find out if interceptive orthodontics could be a good choice for improving your child's oral health.

Dental Problems And Thumb-Sucking

Some dental issues in a toddler's mouth can be caused by habits like thumb-sucking. If your child has a habit of sucking on his or her other thumb, you should know that it can cause the incorrect alignment of incoming permanent teeth later on. Thumb-sucking usually does not affect baby teeth, but it does have an impact on permanent teeth. Thumb-sucking can cause an overbite by pushing the permanent teeth out of proper alignment as they come in. Children can start getting in permanent teeth at around the age of 6, so stopping a thumb-sucking habit before then is paramount to avoid having an overbite later that would need to be corrected with orthodontic techniques like braces. However, if your child already has permanent tooth misalignment and an overbite caused by thumb-sucking, you can discuss orthodontics for him or her at the age of six or seven. Early orthodontic treatment can help prevent more serious dental problems like associated with overbite and misshapen dental arches later on in the teen and adult years.

Orthodontics And Inherited Malocclusions

Some dental issues like having too many teeth can be inherited. If your little one has too many teeth coming in, orthodontics can be the best way to make sure they do not cause overcrowding that would create a misaligned dental arch. If your child grows up with his or teeth overcrowding, he or she could experience chewing issues that could ultimately lead to digestive problems later on in life. Malocclusions due to overcrowding can also cause speech impairment and facial development problems. If your child needs teeth extracted due to having too many, orthodontics can be used to properly align the teeth left behind as well.

Protruding Front Teeth Need Early Alignment

If your child's front teeth are permanent and protruding, you should discuss with a pediatric dental professional about having them straightened with orthodontics. Protruding front teeth can be easier to injure in a fall, an especially common injury in children involved in sports. If your child breaks off a protruding front tooth, he or she will require cosmetic procedures that could be expensive. Preventing unnecessary dental procedures for broken protruding front teeth is best and easiest with early interceptive orthodontics.

Ensuring your child's optimum oral health may include orthodontics. If you wonder whether your child need orthodontic treatment, discussing it with a dentist at a clinic like Family Dentistry Of Woodstock is a good idea for preventing worsening dental problems later on.


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