Throughout life, humans go through a plethora of questions concerning their health. Some of the most common ones are linked to the teeth, including how to preserve strong, healthy teeth, how frequently they should see the dentist, and whether or not early orthodontic care is necessary or they should postpone the idea.
Well, you can ignore the idea of early orthodontic treatment if you aren’t concerned about your oral health, but if you want to live a longer, disease-free life, take a look at this advice from an orthodontist. Why? because even a single tooth can be destructive to overall health.
How Can Oral Health Impact Your Overall Health?
Poor dental health can have negative effects on your entire body and overall health. The reasons are also logical, though. Our mouth is the main entrance to minerals and nutrition that pass along with food into the body. But without a healthy mouth, the food won’t break down easily, and consequently, the digestive system will fail to respond appropriately to the body.
It is for this reason that your body will no longer absorb nutrients from poorly-chewed food, will fail to manage body fat, and will regulate blood sugar, leading to an outbreak of diseases in your life.
To avoid major harm to the body’s overall health, it’s necessary to practice proper dental hygiene and visit your dentist routinely. An early orthodontic assessment also referred to as “interceptive orthodontics”, can aid in the early identification of potential issues.
What is interceptive orthodontics?
A qualified orthodontist (a doctor who specializes in teeth and jaw alignment) can identify potential flaws in jaw growth or tooth development through interceptive orthodontics, commonly termed “Phase I orthodontics.”
Interceptive orthodontics involves correcting teeth and jaws before they become more challenging to fix later. It is an early evaluation of dental conditions aimed at improving the person’s jaw development to avoid the need for major operations in the future.
By encouraging a more ideal connection between the teeth and jaws, this early orthodontic evaluation can make some dental problems easier to manage and cure.
When is the best time to go for an early orthodontic evaluation?
It has been a long-lived myth that orthodontic treatment should begin in the adolescent years. Experts recommend that evaluation must be started once the permanent teeth have erupted.
Even research has debunked such myths. The American Association of Orthodontists now advises that every kid between the ages of 7 and 9 must go for an orthodontic examination.
The child may not necessarily require braces at age 7, but an orthodontist may still conduct an analysis to look for any possible issues and determine whether early orthodontic treatment is required.
The dentist will pinpoint potential issues, keep an eye on them, and plan the treatment. If early orthodontic intervention is required, the kid will be fortunate to receive it before the issue becomes more difficult to handle.
Still, here’s a breakdown of three age-related stages indicating when it’s the right time to get a particular dental issue evaluated and resolved.
Stage 1: Early Treatment (2-6 years old)
The goal of early orthodontic treatment at this age is to control the widening of the tooth arches. The primary objective of early treatment is to allow permanent teeth to sprout properly by providing adequate space. If the kid is facing biting issues, the kid is losing its baby teeth at a young age, bruxers, jaws click or grind while moving, even if the kid breathes via their mouth and not their nose, then early treatment is recommended.
Stage 2 Middle Dentition (6-12 years old)
Middle dentition treatment aims to softly correct misplaced or misaligned permanent teeth. At this age, doctors can also conduct treatment to fix misaligned jaws and can also repair crossbites. It is for this reason that the middle dentition represents a stage of development during which both the soft and hard tissues are highly flexible. Consequently, it even indicates the ideal time to start correcting a severe malocclusion if the dental condition is developing.
Stage3 Adolescent dentition (ages 13 and up)
Dental issues develop in kids later in their early teenage years. Most parents seek orthodontic treatment for their grown-up kids when they think about their child’s adolescent dentition. But luckily, it is still not too late for an Early Orthodontic Evaluation if they are between 13 and 15 years old. Orthodontic treatment at this age allows permanent teeth to align and improve the smile’s aesthetic without any complications. The dentist may even recommend using “permanent” or “detachable” braces until the dental condition is resolved.
Final Words
If you are afraid of misaligned, crooked, or crowded teeth, want to get them straightened, and fix poor bites, remember orthodontists. With additional years of education in dentistry, orthodontists or Invisalign dentists in centennial co may give you peace of mind during early orthodontic evaluation. So, connect today!
