Your mind is probably buzzing with questions about your child’s orthodontic needs: Will those spaces close? Are my son’s jaws fitting together right? At what age should my daughter be losing her baby teeth and in which order should they come out? What happens if my little guy doesn’t get braces? Is my little princess’s mouth growing like it should be? Will my kids even need braces?
Each child comes with his or her own individual set of dental and facial issues that need to be watched over time. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that a child has their first orthodontic exam around the age of seven. Scheduling an appointment around this point in your child’s life is perfect because before that age, it’s a little too early to fully evaluate what should be done. After the age of eight, it’s possible that we might miss a window of orthodontic-troubleshooting opportunity.
At Sparks Family Orthodontics, Dr. Sparks will evaluate your child’s facial pattern to look for proper balance, symmetry, and growth. He’ll count the number of teeth, take appropriate x-rays, and make sure that you know where, when, and how to go about helping your child get all of their teeth into a great smile with correct alignment.
Along the way, we’ll advise your family how to minimize any problems that come while children grow into their face and jaws. Most importantly, however, Dr. Sparks wants to make sure every child feels comfortable getting check-ups before actual treatment is needed. He believes that getting good results, regardless of the type of treatment, starts with a good Doctor/Patient relationship.
No treatment. This is a very important treatment decision and a time to take a step back and observe a child’s facial and dental development every six months. This will help us decide the best option when/if treatment is needed after all the teeth have erupted. Most kids will fall into this category as we wait it out to make sure things progress normally.
We don’t believe in charging for these semi-annual Junior check-ups because of the importance of planning ahead and continuing to monitor your child’s progress. If treatment is indicated, finances will be discussed at that time.
Braces on several teeth to make space for incoming adult teeth or to make minor movements for improvement. These movements help close up big spaces, fix cross-bites, or help prevent anything that could potentially harm the gums, teeth, or bite. This phase is essentially a basic braces quick-fix followed by a retainer. Because these beginning – Phase I – braces are typically followed by normal teenage/adult braces, we try to make this experience as fun and noninvasive as possible.
Slowly expand the jaws to make room for teeth while getting the back teeth into proper alignment . . . Don’t worry, during consultation we’ll explain why, when, if, and how these are used.
