Dr. Megan LeCornu – Embrace Your Smile Orthodontics
Dr. Megan LeCornu, Board Certified Orthodontist in Santa Clarita, CA, answers a top question orthodontists in Santa Clarita. – Why are kids starting braces so young
One of the most common questions I get asked when I’m out with my friends that are moms is why are kids starting braces so young?
Whenever we see children under the age of 10 in braces, that’s most commonly what we call a phase one treatment. What that is, is it’s an interceptive treatment. During this phase, this early phase of treatment, what we’re doing is we’re actually trying to modify the growth of the jaws or adjust the alignment of the teeth or the spacing for the permanent teeth so that the permanent teeth can fit into the patient’s mouth.
The things that we like to correct at this time are issues with the upper jaw, such as crossbites, whether it be a posterior crossbite where the upper jaw is too skinny or if it’s anterior crossbite where the front teeth are behind the bottom teeth. Other things like we tend to address at this age is we open up space for making sure we can fit the permanent teeth in the mouth. If there’s any teeth in trauma occlusion, we’ll address it at this time too. Sometimes, when we have very, very protrusive teeth where the patient is a high risk for potentially traumatizing or damaging their teeth, we will address those things.
The last thing we address before the age of 10 is if there’s an issue where the teeth are in a position that’s causing the patient to be made from of at school. Really, there’s only a few reasons we treat before the age of 10, but when we do need to treat before the age of 10, if we do that, it will make things substantially easier later for that patient.
Does everyone need early treatment? Absolutely not. In most cases, only about 20% of people need early treatment. The reality is, is when you bring your child in, there’s a very good chance that they’re not going to need anything until all the permanent teeth are in, but if for some reason they do need some type of interceptive treatment, it’s good to get them evaluated before the age of 10.
For more information on this topic can contact Dr. Megan LeCornu at:
2 Locations
Embrace your Smile Orthodontics
23206 Lyons Avenue, Suite 206, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
(661) 259-2388
Embrace your Smile Orthodontics
27891 Smyth Dr. Unit A. Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 295-8288
