It is best for your child to see the orthodontist by age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required. The first permanent molars and incisors have usually come in by the age of 7 and crossbites, crowding, and other problems can be evaluated.

It is also the best time for the patient to be treated, if treatment is needed. Treatment at the early age, usually between the ages of six and ten, is called Phase 1 treatment. It is limited orthodontic treatment (e.g., expander or partial braces) before all of the permanent teeth have erupted.

Children can benefit enormously from an early phase of orthodontic treatment because they are growing rapidly and corrections can be done that will simplify later treatment. When treatment is begun early, the orthodontist can guide the growth of the jaw and guide incoming permanent teeth. These early corrections may prevent later removal of permanent teeth to correct overcrowding and/or prevent surgical procedures to align the upper and lower jaws. Leaving such a condition untreated until all permanent teeth erupt could result in a jaw discrepancy too severe to achieve an ideal result with braces.

Early treatment can also regulate the width of the upper and lower dental arches, gain space for permanent teeth, avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions, reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth, correct thumb-sucking, and eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech problems. In other words, early treatment can simplify later treatment.

After Phase 1 treatment, when all or most of the permanent teeth have erupted, a comprehensive treatment is likely to be needed. A comprehensive treatment involves full braces and is similar to the orthodontic treatment of patients that didn’t have an early phase of orthodontic treatment.