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Early Treatment

Why early treatment?

Orthodontics is more than just straightening teeth. There are generally four biological systems that are involved in the orthodontic correction process.

The first system involves nasal breathing. The face and jaws can grow unfavorably in a child who routinely breathes through his mouth rather than through his nose. If such a condition is recognized and treated early, growth can proceed favorably. The proper use of orthodontic radiographs can provide initial clues of favorable or unfavorable growth patterns of the face and jaws.

The second system involves muscles. The muscles of facial expression, the muscles of mastication or chewing, and the muscles of the tongue are the muscles of interest. All have a significant influence in the development of dental and facial balance in the young patient.

The third system is skeletal (boney). This system deals with the relationships of the upper and lower jaws to one another, to the teeth, and to the other bones of the head. By properly evaluating orthodontic radiographs, a skeletal problem can be determined.

The fourth system involves the teeth. Usually the muscles of the face and the mouth, the growth of the jaws, and the patterns of breathing determine the positions of the teeth. Your child may have a large overbite, crowded teeth, spaces between the teeth, or teeth that “just don’t look right.”

As you can see, before a treatment proposal can be formulated for any specific problem, a complete evaluation must be made to see if there is a breathing problem, a facial muscle problem, a skeletal problem, or a dental problem. Usually there is a combination of two or more of these conditions to be considered.

An appreciation of the maturation and growth of the developing child enables timely intervention to redirect growth patterns. By the time a child becomes a young teenager, 90% of his or her facial growth has been completed, thereby reducing the influence that the orthodontist may have on the overall quality of the correction. This earlier approach to therapy allows for enhanced improvement in the quality of the treatment used in the areas of facial esthetics, the balance of proper function, and long lasting results.

A variety of early treatment appliances is available to attempt to affect the growth and development of your young patient. After an evaluation of the apparent or potential problems, a treatment plan will be devised and explained to you, delineating the desired effect of the proposed appliances.

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