When to start Orthodontics?

Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry concerned with straightening crooked teeth with braces.

Most people want their children to grow up with healthy, straight teeth. Some youngsters are just naturally blessed with straight teeth, but many need the help of a skilled orthodontist in order to fulfil their full dental potential. However, orthodontics is not just confined to children and many adults are now getting their smiles straightened out.

Children’s adult teeth normally come through between the ages of 6 and 13 as the baby teeth are shed. Some children have all their adult teeth earlier than this and some are a bit later. Girls tend to be a bit ahead of boys.

Orthodontics are usually provided after the baby teeth have all been lost. So commonly the early teenage years are when children get their braces.

There are some circumstances when children need braces at an earlier age than this. Also, some children need two courses of orthodontics; one at a young age to correct some specific development problems, and then again at the usual time.

Some children who need orthodontics never go on to get braces because their oral hygiene (how well they clean their teeth) is never good enough, their decay rate ( how many new cavities they develop) is too high or they have a bad habit such as thumb-sucking.

In these cases, braces may either not work or do more harm than good so, unless they can improve their bad habits, orthodontics will always be a no-no.