It’s important for parents to recognize warning signs of orthodontic issues in their children at an early age!
It’s relatively easy to understand why orthodontic treatment is so important for kids and teenagers, but a lot of parents get confused when it comes to knowing the best time to initiate their child’s treatment process. According to the American Association of Orthodontists, age seven is the recommended time for children to do their initial consultation.
What’s great about working with Dr. Karpac and the entire JK Orthodontics staff is that we specialize in treating young children and teenagers to support the development of their smiles while their mouths and jaws are still growing; however, we still help countless patients with adult orthodontics as well!
Below we’ll be better explaining why age seven is the right time for your child to come in and meet Dr. Karpac, and how getting a head start on orthodontic treatment can go a really long way towards alleviating any issues before they get worse.
Why Is Age Seven The Right Time For A Child’s Initial Consultation?
Some parents are concerned about initiating their child’s orthodontic treatment at age seven because their child may still have at least some of their baby teeth, but it’s important for parents to understand that this is actually really helpful for our team to better prepare for the type of treatment that will be necessary later on.
Whether your child needs braces, a palate expander, or Line-M-Up™, it’s always best to have them come in sooner rather than later to help us know where their adult teeth are coming in and how exactly they’ll erupt once every baby tooth falls out. There are many different scenarios that can determine the course of action for your child’s treatment, so it’s crucial for Dr. Karpac to obtain a thorough understanding of your child’s current oral health status to decipher the best path forward.
For instance if your child’s mouth is too small for incoming adult teeth, we’ll utilize a palate expander to help widen the upper jaw to better ensure that the top and bottom teeth are fitting together more healthily. It’s also possible that your child may only need braces on their top or bottom teeth when they’re initiating their treatment process, because this strategy can help correct developmental issues with specific teeth that will ultimately make it much easier for unerupted adult teeth to have enough room.
Possible Early Warning Signs That Your Child Needs Orthodontic Treatment
It’s completely natural for parents to be confused about whether or not their child will need braces or any kind of orthodontic treatment at an early age, but the good news is that there are many signs of orthodontic trouble that parents can be on the lookout for.
Some of the common early warning signs that indicate that your child may need early orthodontic treatment include the following:
- Premature or delayed loss of baby teeth
- Noticeable difficulty with things like chewing and eating
- Protruding teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Crooked teeth
- Mouth breathing
- Irregular teeth spacing
- Prolonged thumb sucking
- Clenching or grinding teeth
- The child’s upper and lower arches don’t meet when they bite down
- The child frequently bites the roof of their mouth or their cheek
It’s important for parents to understand that these above symptoms don’t necessarily indicate that their child will need braces at age seven, but what they do indicate is that your child should at the very least come into see Dr. Karpac and our team for a check-up. During this check-up we’ll be sure to verify whether or not their bite, teeth and overall jaw alignment are developing correctly.
What To Expect From Your Initial Consultation
When your seven-year-old comes in for their initial consultation, they will undergo a pretty thorough examination. We’ll be sure to take x-rays and a series of photographs to place into the child’s new orthodontic filing record, which will go a long way in helping us keep track of potential issues and how the treatment progresses later on. The x-rays and images also help us when it comes to deciding the best course of action to efficiently correct what your child is currently experiencing.
From a parent’s perspective, their child’s initial consultation is also a really great time to ask Dr. Karpac and our staff any questions that you have about how the treatment will continue and what exactly may be needed. It’s also important for parents to provide any personal/medical history about their child during the initial consultation, because this information is many times very important in determining the best treatment process.
We also fully understand how a lot of parents and children have become increasingly concerned about coming in for an initial consultation due to the pandemic, and we’ve already met many parents and children who decided to postpone their initial consultation over the past year due to health concerns.
But what you should know is that all of us at JK Orthodontics take the safety of our patients and staff very seriously, which is why we’ve invested in state-of-the-art aerosol ventilation technology and high-tech PPE. We’ve also updated our office protocols to abide by social distancing and CDC guidelines, so our offices are always circulating clean air and are never crowded.
You can also now do a virtual consultation right from the comfort of your home, which can essentially serve as your initial consultation with Dr. Karpac and our staff.
Reach Out To JK Orthodontics To Learn More About How We Can Help Your Child Through Our Comprehensive, High-Quality Orthodontic Services
JK Orthodontics has become an industry leader throughout the Columbus Metro Area over the past 30 years because we have the experience, technology, financing and overall great customer service that keeps families coming back and referring us throughout the community.
We look forward to meeting you and your child as he/she begins their journey towards a beautiful, healthy smile that will last a lifetime, so always feel free to reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our team and let us know how we can help you with starting your child’s orthodontic treatment process!