Family Dentistry For Early Malocclusions

Family dentistry involves offices that can help an entire family from infants' teething to cosmetic alterations for adult teeth. The perfect example of the help available is when it comes to the correction of early malocclusions in children. This should be done before it advances to more painful or bothersome issues, but the timing is critical. Seven years old is the minimum age for any child to begin to undergo corrective procedures. Whether the parents are looking into ear pinning or the application of braces for their child's condition, all are advised to wait until the child has at least reached the age of seven. As far as the child's teeth are concerned, age seven is a typical minimum for all of the baby teeth to have fallen out and all, or majority, of the adult teeth to have erupted. The baby teeth usually show signs of misalignment to come, so many general dentists prepare their clients for future dental care on their child's adult teeth by making recommendations for how to handle it in the near future, with or without braces. So once the adult teeth have grown out and the bite is misaligned, an overbite has extended itself, crooked teeth have formed, or crowding has occurred, this is the ideal time to start steering everything in the right direction. And the family dentistry professional associated with this job is an orthodontist.

After the proactive parent takes his or her daughter to the family dentistry general practitioner, he or she will receive a recommendation of several next steps that depend upon the level of misalignment of the child's teeth. On one hand, the family can choose to opt for the support of night guards or retainer-like devices for minor malocclusions and long-term wear. On the other hand, braces with or without headgear and other bite-aligning devices are available for short-term adjustments.

The parents can also choose between the available options based on their financial abilities. These days, financing is a great way to get one's child the dental intervention that he or she needs for a comfortable bite and smile in their future. Although braces and retainers produce appealing aesthetic results, they also prevent further damage to the jaw and hinge joint of the jaw as a result of misaligned chewing. As the teeth inevitably shift as one continues to age, so does the mouth itself. It can become uncomfortable to not only smile but also chew and close one's mouth as the teeth shift out of any natural positioning. Visit your dentist today to take care of these problems before they become much bigger issues.