Early Orthodontic Treatment
Stephen Deal • Dec 12, 2018
Should you seek straight teeth on your kids?
I have seen a lot of talk here lately about early orthodontic treatment, but not much talk about proper growth of the face, which in my opinion is THE most important thing to think and talk about when it comes to early orthodontic treatment for children. Catching improper growth and development of the face/jaws early allows for easy correction because the child still has lots of growth potential remaining. Simply straightening the teeth at an early age is not sufficient and can create problems such as an underbite and poor lip support. These problems arise when you simply rush to close spaces or straighten teeth and fail to see the big picture which is straight teeth AND a beautiful face.
Here is my son, Thompson, before treatment and then after growth guidance therapy:
Two years between these photos. Look at the asymmetry of his face on the left and how much more symmetrical his face is now. He wore a removable growth guidance appliance for 10 months and worked on exercises for proper tongue position and nasal breathing.
Below is before and after growth guidance therapy. No braces were worn to this point, yet you can see how his teeth are straightening. He has plenty of room for all his permanent teeth and will only require braces for a short period of time to correct the slight crowding and rotations. This is the power of correct facial growth.
If you want more information on facial growth, growth guidance or orthodontics, please call my office, 501-500-5105.
Stephen Deal DDS
