No parent wants to take their child to a dental check-up and then be told that they need to have a brace fitted. As this is likely to make your child less than eager to go back in the future! But braces have come a long way in recent years and now, your child may even be able to wear a more discreet brace than the typical orthodontic option.
At Smile4U, our dentist Herne Hill is proud to be able to provide orthodontic care to children and will always discuss all the suitable options with you, to ensure that they get the straighter smiles that they deserve.
With that in mind, what are some of the most common indicators that your child may need to wear a brace? Here, our dentist Herne Hill highlights 5 signs to look out for.
Early loss of baby teeth
This is why baby teeth are so important! They act as markers for the adult teeth when they come through. If your child has had to have multiple baby teeth removed too early due to decay, this can heighten the risk of them developing issues with misalignment when their adult teeth erupt. Our dentist Herne Hill will be able to identify this risk when your child is about 7 years of age and will discuss treatment with you.
Misaligned jaws
Sometimes, this just happens and a child may be born with an upper jaw that is too far forward or, more commonly, a lower jaw that is too far forward. In severe instances, surgery may be needed to move the jaw back into the correct alignment to prevent issues such as temporomandibular joint disorder from developing later in life. If your child has a mild to moderate case of a misaligned jaw, then an orthodontic brace will be the best option for
correcting this.
Spacing between teeth
Spacing between teeth is exceedingly common in children and in some instances, it is to be expected when their adult teeth begin to emerge. If these teeth do not correctly align themselves then this can indicate to our team that a brace may be needed.
Biting issues
Much like the spacing problems between teeth, issues with bites are exceedingly common, with the most well known being an overbite. But there are also incidents of underbites and even crossbites which can result in someone taking a bite out of a sandwich and leaving the filling but getting the bread. Not a very satisfying thing to bite into! If your child has protruding lower or upper teeth, or their teeth are simply at an angle at the front of their mouth (facing forwards or backwards) this can indicate that they will need to have a fitted brace.
Speech issues
Many speech therapists can attest to the fact that children who have misaligned teeth are at a higher risk of developing stammers and lisps. This is because of the way the tongue interacts with the teeth, which is a vital part of creating words and sounds. If your child has had issues with speech since a young age, this can indicate that they may need to wear a brace. So talk to our team for more advice about this.
DISCLAIMER
All treatments carry risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.