Orthodontics... It's something that people short on cash often really dread, because orthodonture is far from cheap. In some cases, like mine, it was either orthodonture or likely need to get dentures by the time I was 30, because of how bad my mouth was. My father's cousin Marty had overlapping roots so badly that he lost all his teeth by then. My sister and I had the same situation (yay for genes) caused by a high arched narrow palate making there not be enough room in my mouth for my teeth, and my parents wanted to prevent that from happening, so I got expanders twice, starting from age 9 and then again at 14, and had braces twice too. My mouth wasn't cheap. My sister also needed similar, but she didn't have them twice.
So far, the dentist sent my son to an orthodontist for an examination because of a tooth he had that wasn't coming in properly, but after a panoramic X ray she suggested pulling the baby tooth that was blocking it and seeing what happened, and it seems to have straightened out but I need to check again. But two of my kids have spaces between their teeth, and one has more or less stopped growing and has all their adult teeth, but the other still has most of her baby teeth so we'd have to see what it's like once they come in. But even if I do end up needing to pay for orthodontics for my kids, it won't be nearly as expensive as my mouth was.
Here are some orthodontic situations that might come up with your children.
Here are some orthodontic situations that might come up with your children.
Parents only want the best for their kids. Whether that’s the best education, the best friends, or the best experiences, there can be some difficulty when certain aspects are uncontrollable. One part of a child’s life that is quite vulnerable is their health, particularly their dental health.
Although parents can brush their children’s teeth and teach them proper oral care, there are many orthodontic problems kids can experience from a young age. Some children are as young as seven years old when they are first treated by an orthodontist.
Four of the most common issues have been outlined below as well as how children’s orthodontics can be used to resolve them.
Crossbite
If teeth do not line up properly when the child’s mouth is closed, this could be a crossbite. It can affect one tooth or groups of teeth. A crossbite can cause teeth to be worn down unevenly, jaw pain, and gum recession.
Dentists and orthodontists should be able to detect this issue; early detection is essential. To address a kid’s crossbite and realign the teeth and jaws, braces and other specialized treatments might be used. Braces have become a very common treatment in children, with roughly four million minors wearing braces in the US.
Crowding
When there isn’t enough room for all of the teeth to align properly in the mouth, crowding can occur. This might happen if the jaw is too small, baby teeth are lost early, or teeth are too big. Teeth can become crooked and overlap each other, which makes cleaning these teeth efficiently difficult. As these teeth are tougher to clean, the risk of tooth decay and gum disease increases.
To correct crowding, an orthodontist might use braces or Invisalign. These treatments will create space for the teeth and align them appropriately. In some cases, teeth extraction might be required to ensure there is enough space for the teeth remaining in the mouth to be straightened.
Impacted Teeth
Sometimes a tooth will be blocked from breaking through the gum fully; this is an impacted tooth. A tooth might become impacted because of the surrounding teeth or the angle it is in. It is common for upper canines and wisdom teeth to be impacted. As the tooth is only partially erupted, it can be difficult to clean, leading to tooth decay, infection, and other issues.
An impacted tooth can be orthodontically aligned in some cases, but it might need to be extracted if problems arise. If it does not cause other dental issues, the tooth could be left alone as long as proper care is performed.
Overbite
An overbite is when the child’s teeth are misaligned; the upper front teeth protrude further than the lower front teeth. This can be caused by several factors, such as childhood habits like pacifier or thumb sucking, genetics, or issues with jaw alignment. Some overbites will become worse as the child gets older, if it is left untreated. This issue can even cause problems with chewing, speaking, and swallowing.
In younger children who are still growing, typically between seven or eight years of age, palate expanders can be used to widen the roof of their mouths during growth spurts.