This is a really common question that Dr Chris gets from a lot of parents. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that a child first be seen by an orthodontist between the ages of 7 and 9. At Chapel Hills Orthodontics, we use this recommendation for most of our patients, plus our consultations are FREE, so having little Johnny in for a checkup doesn’t hurt the pocketbook at all.
The main reason to have your child checked at an early age is to make sure there aren’t any serious problems that are easier to correct on younger kids as opposed to teens. Some of these include anterior and posterior crossbites, thumb habits, severe crowding and extra or missing teeth.
In most cases, treatment won’t be needed right away and we will continue to monitor your child periodically while they continue to lose their baby teeth and permanent teeth come in. If your child is a good candidate for an early treatment, Dr Chris will explain the Pros and Cons of the early treatment and help you decide what is the best treatment for your child.
In the end, having an orthodontic check up when your child is between the ages of 7 and 9 not only helps identify if they have a problem that will need to be corrected right away, but also allows us to start treatment planning on work that could also be needed in the future.