Do you have children and are unsure whether they may need braces? The prospect of orthodontic treatment is not an enjoyable one for any parent. Children and teenagers are usually reluctant to have braces but as the adults we know sometimes they are necessary. The earlier your child sees an orthodontist, the better. iSmile Orthodontics will see children as young as seven and recommend an early visit for all their patients. This allows us to develop an optimised treatment plan, often able to deliver better results in a shorter time frame. As a parent, you should be observing your child’s teeth from the moment they erupt. Here are some tell tale signs that your child may need braces:

Excessive Spacing Or Crowding
Whether it looks like your child has too many teeth or not enough, poor spacing often displays in your child’s milk teeth and repeats itself when the adult teeth erupt. Braces can help close gaps and expansion appliances can create more space to accommodate teeth. In the case of expansion appliances, early intervention is very important.

Overbite OrUnderbite
There are any number of ways teeth can meet incorrectly. When teeth overlap from the top, this is called an overbite, while overlapping of the lower teeth is an underbite. These can cause serious problems later on and should be dealt with once all adult teeth have erupted. If your child’s teeth don’t come together at all, this is called an open bite and they will need braces to deal with an alignment problem.

Abnormal Eruption
Typically, teeth grow straight down or up from the gums but some teeth erupt from the wrong point. This is a misalignment problem which can be corrected with braces once the tooth is fully erupted.

Speech Problems
Many of the sounds we make for speech involve our tongue and teeth. When teeth are not where they are supposed to be, speech impediments, such as lisps, can develop. Often these speech patterns can be solved by correctly aligning the teeth.

Mouth Breathing
Children may develop the habit of breathing through their mouths rather than their nose because of poorly aligned teeth. This can negatively impact their facial growth as well as leading to speech problems. It is possible to relearn to breathe through your nose but often children who have experienced this habit require orthodontic treatment to fix their teeth.

Chewing Problems
Does your child struggle to chew their food properly? This probably means are their teeth are not aligned correctly, making the job of chewing much harder. Realigning their teeth will enable them to effectively chew their food, an important step in the digestive journey.

Genetics
Teeth alignment and other orthodontic problems are usually genetic. Therefore, if you or your partner had braces, your children have a higher probability of needing them too. That’s why iSmile orthodontics offers sibling discounts under our family plans.

Ultimately, unless you are an orthodontist yourself, it is impossible to know whether your child needs braces without a visit to a specialist. iSmile Orthodontics offers complimentary consultations for all patients to determine if orthodontic treatment is even necessary. Book your child in today and we can provide a conclusive diagnosis, free of charge from the age of seven.