What age?

[MelissaJ]

I am sure this is a frequently asked question but I couldn't find it anywhere in this forum. What is the appropriate age to first visit the orthodontist? My son is now 9 years old and has his top 4 permanent teeth in. He has huge gaps. Whenever we go to the dentist they always mention that he has nice spaces. Whatever that means?!?! I am thinking he will be needing braces since I had gaps.

[sportsgrl97]

hey....

i dont remember for sure but i heard that there is a phase called like the duck phase or something like that where the eye teeth (canines) push against the laterals and make huge spaces between the four front teeth..... it was true with me.... my gaps were pretty good. the gaps will go away when the canine teeth come down... thats probably why they call them good gaps. hope this helps

Michelle

[MelissaJ]

Thanks for the advice! I am hoping his are "good gaps". They are so big he could fit more than a quarter or two between them.

[bracieb]

My 10 yr old twins just got braces. The ortho said that 10 is a perfect age, since they are about to go into a growth spurt and the jaws can be easily adjusted (they have an overbite). Having said that, a friend's daughter just finished with a jaw expander, and she is the same age- she had the expander for a year or two. She will go into braces soon. Boys get the growth spurt later than girls, soooo.... ask your dentist, or just make an ortho consult appointment. You don't need a referral, but it does help to ask who your dentist recommends.

[MegoLego]

Im not a parent. But I was 8 or 9 when I first saw the ortho. I had to get spacers.

[Desiree]

My thoughts on this relate to the kids ability and desire to do proper oral hygiene (which is challenging with kids anyway, add brackets and wires and it becomes all the more challenging). I have my oldest in braces now (15)... my next one who is now 12 has been suggested for orthodontics, I feel he is not yet ready to take on the proper care, and I'm not spending all that money to have staining and cavities when it is said and done. So... yes, by age some ways the mouth is ready earlier, but the kid has to also be ready to actually take care of the teeth.

[browneyedgrl]

I totally agree. My 10 year is going to need treatment and his dental hygiene is horrendous. I have to be on top of him to get his teeth cleaned properly. My dentist also suggested that I take him for a consult when he turns 11. He's only lost 9 teeth so far. It should be interesting when we start his journey.

[ilovemacs]

I agree with Meryaten!

[bbsadmin]

If your dentist recommends an orthodontic consultation, the usual age to start is around 9 or 10. Orthodontists like to work with a child's growth.

My daughter had a crossbite. At age 9 she had an expander put in, and wore it for about 4 or 5 months. That was enough to corrrect the crossbite, and now her adult teeth are growing in much better. She sees the orthodontist once a year just so he can "take a look." He has been very pleased and says that she may not need braces at all if her teeth grow in straight!

Good gaps probably refers to there being enough room for the adult teeth when they come down. It's worse to have too much crowding than to have too much space. Also, remember the adult teeth are a bit larger than baby teeth, so there needs to be some extra room.

Don't jump to conclusions that your child may need braces if he/she has gaps at this young age. Your child's jaw and face are still growing and things will change. If there are any gaps after all the permanent teeth come in, then an orthodontist would probably want to close them up.

Some orthodontists do a "two phase" treatment, treating some things in a rather preventive way for younger children (for example my daughter's crossbite) and then doing formal braces when the child gets older, if necesssary.

I hope this helps!