Orthodontic Treatment for Children
You probably have a lot of questions about your child’s orthodontic needs: Will those spaces close? Are my son’s jaws fitting together right? At what age should my daughter be losing her baby teeth? In which order should they come out? What happens if my little guy doesn’t get braces? What about that tissue between their front teeth? Will my kids even need braces?
Each child comes with his or her own individual set of dental and facial issues that need to be watched over time. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that a child has their first Orthodontic exam around the age of seven. After the age of eight, it’s possible that we might miss a window of orthodontic-troubleshooting opportunity.
At Swan Smiles and Orthodontics, Dr. Swan will evaluate your child’s facial pattern to look for proper balance, symmetry, and growth. He’ll count the number of teeth to see if any permanent teeth are missing, take appropriate x-rays, and make sure that you know where, when, and how to go about helping your child get all of their teeth into a great smile with correct alignment. This age group is Dr. Swan’s specialty as he is also a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist.
Dr. Swan’s goal is to minimize any problems that come while children grow into their faces and jaws. Maybe even more importantly, however, Dr. Swan wants to make sure every child feels comfortable with how their teeth are developing. Hearing stories about kids not wanting to smile at school makes him cringe and he will do whatever it takes to make things better if your child is in this situation!
Child Treatment Options
OBSERVATION
No treatment. This is a very important treatment decision. A time to take a step back and observe a child’s facial and dental development every six months. This will help us decide the best option when/if treatment is needed after all the teeth have come in. Most kids will fall into this category as we wait it out to make sure things progress normally. These observation visits can be easily combined with regular 6-month cleanings and exams if you are patients of Swan Smiles Family and Pediatric Dentistry.
PHASE 1 - BRACES
A few brackets on key teeth to make space for incoming adult teeth or to make minor movements for improvement. These movements help close up big spaces, fix cross-bites, or help prevent anything that could potentially harm the gums, teeth, or bite. This phase is essentially a basic braces quick-fix followed by a retainer. Because these beginning – Phase I – braces are typically followed by normal teenage/adult braces, we try to make this experience as fun and noninvasive as possible. We will also heavily discount the second phase of orthodontics if it is needed once all the permanent teeth come into place.
EXPANDERS
Slowly expand the jaws to make room for teeth while getting the back teeth into proper alignment. Don’t worry, during consultation we’ll explain why, when, if, and how these are used. We’ll show you pictures too! We want every patient to feel comfortable and have all their questions answered.
Salem: 801-423-7969
Nephi: 435-580-5055
601 UT-198
Salem, UT 84653
54 N. Main Street
Nephi, UT 84648
info@swansmiles.com