In Spain, one out of every two adults states that they wear or have worn orthodontics. This shows that more and more older people decide to follow a treatment of this type, either for aesthetic reasons or for occlusive problems that end up affecting dental health.
The aesthetic issue is still the first motivation to undergo orthodontics, but the number of treatments for health reasons is growing more and more. The appliances used for orthodontics in adults are not different from those used in children or adolescents, and that is where we focus our interest, when should children go to the orthodontist?
When is the best time to take your children to the orthodontic clinic
The doubts about children’s orthodontics are very varied, but one of them always stands out, how old a child must be to undergo a first evaluation. The answer is not homogeneous or standardized for all children, although there are general recommendations.
Between six and twelve years of age , when children are in the first stage of mixed dentition and they are already replacing bed or temporary teeth with bone and permanent teeth, it is a good time to go to the specialist and have them check how they are doing. producing this evolution of the oral apparatus.
The earlier the visit to the orthodontist, the more likely it is that the dentist will detect bone or functional problems in childhood . From the age of six or seven there may be cases of protrusion in the mexilla or that the appearance of the upper teeth causes aesthetic problems.
Aesthetics, although it seems a somewhat superficial issue, is not so at all, since an incorrect alignment of the upper teeth can cause alterations in swallowing, chewing, difficulty in closing the lips, narrow palates, etc.
In many centers, such as the Ortoclinik orthodontic clinic in Madrid , the first visit is free and already in that session estimates are indicated on the duration of the treatment, how the oral appliance can evolve and all the doubts of the child are resolved. and their relatives.
In orthodontics, it is difficult to separate health from aesthetics, as professionals admit. In addition to providing aesthetics, orthodontic treatments help prevent pathologies in the temporomandibular joint, improve the durability of other dental treatments such as fillings or implants and prevent abnormal or premature wear of teeth.
What children’s orthodontic treatments are the most appropriate
Once the first visit to the dentist is made, when the first permanent teeth begin to appear, the first recommended treatment is that of an imperceptive nature . With this practice, to be carried out between the ages of seven and eleven, the objective is to improve the position of the bones so that the teeth appear in the correct position.
Later, once the child enters his adolescent stage, from the age of twelve or thirteen, it is time for corrective treatments. It is at this time that many families choose to go to a children’s dentist .
With regard to orthodontic treatments, removable appliances and braces are still the most common in the adolescent stage, but it is increasingly common to bet on invisible orthodontics , something that until a while ago was almost exclusive to adults.
Removable braces can be removed and put on at any time and are changed as children grow and dental habits or problems and bone system are corrected.
For their part, brackets are fixed appliances that are cemented on the teeth and are intended to move each tooth individually , to correct its position and align the entire teeth.
One step further goes the invisible orthodontics , which can be lingual or removable, and consists of porcelain, zirconium or sapphire brackets that are less noticeable than metal braces . Many specialists recommend this treatment in cases where the process will last more than two years.
When is it mandatory to go to the orthodontist
So far we have remembered the best time to go to the orthodontist for the first time, which is between the ages of six and twelve. If the little one is turning years old and there are no alignment problems in the teeth or aesthetic failures, this issue should not be ignored either and it is recommended to visit a specialist at the age of sixteen or seventeen at the latest.
However, the orthodontic revision cannot be delayed if children show strong crowding of the teeth or are severely crooked in the jaw area, cross bites , teeth that are retained or impacted each other or open bites due to the continuous habit of sucking the thumb .
The main objective of orthodontic treatments is to solve aspects such as biting or chewing. Aesthetics, which is also important, is an issue that is relegated to the background but that, with these treatments, improves ostensibly.
