Early Treatment
What is Early Treatment?
Early treatment, also referred to as Phase 1 treatment or Interceptive treatment, is primarily focused on diagnosing and correcting orthodontic concerns during your child’s developmental years. Addressing orthodontic issues while children still have both baby teeth and adult teeth, known as mixed dentition, enables Dr. Bains to rectify these problems as their jaws and teeth continue to develop.
According to the American Association of Orthodontics, it is recommended that all children see an orthodontist by the age of 7. This early visit allows for the identification and potential resolution of significant issues through early treatment during this crucial developmental phase. Dr. Bains can effectively address various problems with early orthodontic treatment, including spacing or crowding issues, underbites, overbites, open bites, crossbites and jaw-related concerns. By detecting and treating these issues early, Dr. Bains can guide future teeth into their proper positions, preserving the need for further treatment and minimizing the requirement for additional appliances.
The Importance of Early Orthodontic Treatment
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Correcting Orthodontic Issues
Receiving early treatment enables Dr. Bains to identify and address orthodontic issues before they progress into more severe problems. This proactive approach is instrumental in promoting proper development of your child’s jaw and teeth, potentially sparing them from the need for extensive future treatment.
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Guiding Jaw Development
Interceptive treatment has the capability to guide your child’s jaw to develop and grow correctly. This proactive approach can effectively rectify bite issues that, if left unaddressed, might worsen over time and potentially necessitate more invasive treatments or surgical procedures for correction.
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Enhancing Aesthetics and Overall Oral Health
Phase 1 treatment can play a significant role in correcting misalignments and crowding issues, which in turn can enhance the symmetry of your child’s face and contribute to their overall oral health improvement.
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Frequently Asked Questions.
Now that you have gained some insight into early orthodontic treatment, are you contemplating this option for your child? We understand that early treatment might be unfamiliar to some of you and you likely have numerous questions about it.
Our goal is to ensure that all our patients and their parents are well-informed about early treatment. To facilitate your understanding and comfort with early treatment, we have gathered a selection of our most commonly asked questions.
If your child is experiencing spacing or crowding problems, an overbite, underbite, crossbite, open bite, or any other form of misalignment, there is a chance that early treatment may be necessary. To confirm, we encourage you to schedule a consultation at our office for a thorough assessment.
Early treatment may encompass the use of various orthodontic devices such as space maintainers, expanders and limited braces, tailored to address your child’s specific orthodontic requirements.
While the duration of early treatment varies based on each patient’s unique needs, it typically falls within a range of 6 to 12 months, on average.
Early treatment, often referred to as “Phase 1 treatment,” is designed to tackle orthodontic issues before they worsen. This phase can effectively resolve problems such as spacing, crowding, bite issues and jaw misalignments, thus serving as a preventive measure against their progression.
In certain situations, a second phase of treatment may be necessary, depending on the seriousness of the problem. Once your child completes the initial treatment, we will maintain ongoing monitoring to assess whether further treatment is required.