Orthodontics for Children

If you think your child might require Orthodontic treatment simply contact our practice directly. No dentist referral is required.

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Our practice is modern, happy and relaxing

Our Orthodontic practice is a modern, happy and relaxing place where you and your child can feel at home. We offer a child friendly environment and there is a library close by for siblings to visitif they do not wish to wait in the lounge area while you or your child are attending your appointment. One of our main aims is to encourage your child to understand the treatment process.

Early treatment

Early Treatment

The aim at this stage of therapy is to intercept and prevent a bad bite from fully developing and to correctly develop your child’s jaw structure into the proper proportions.

The thought of needing braces has haunted parents and children for years. Traditionally, Orthodontic treatment was mostly confined to teenage patients after all their permanent adult teeth had developed. However, today Orthodontics is being prescribed for children as young as seven or eight following the eruption of their first adult molar (back) teeth, which will establish their back bite.

As teeth and facial bones in younger children are still developing and growing, they are easier to manipulate into their ideal position in a more rapid timeframe than fully developed teeth and bones. Treatment at an early age can range from simple supervision and guidance of the maturing teeth and facial bone structure through the use of fixed or removable appliances. Early Treatment helps.

The aim at this stage of therapy is to intercept and prevent a bad bite from fully developing and to correctly develop your child’s jaw structure into the proper proportions, transversely (width) vertically (height) and profile to achieve the best facial balance and harmony.

Early treatment advantages

Early Treatment Advantages

Whilst early intervention can be beneficial, we will always recommend treatment based on individual needs not a standard solution. Some direct results of early intervention treatment include:

  • Creating room for erupting teeth to prevent crowding
  • Creating symmetry by influencing jaw and facial bone growth
  • Reduce the risk of injury to protruding front teeth, gums and face
  • Significantly reducing the need for tooth removal due to crowding
  • Reducing the timeframe in braces

Orthodontic treatment for children

Space maintenance or regaining is a commonly performed procedure in children. The early loss of a primary tooth may lead to a lack of space for its permanent replacement. Another common interceptive procedure is to Orthodontically erupt a permanent tooth, which has failed to take its correct position in the gum-line.

Lower arch development is also undertaken in children so the lower jaw is able to accommodate all the permanent teeth in their correct alignment. This is usually achieved with a bonded appliance, which is gently expanded over a 9-12 month period.

Bite-planes removable plates can be used to help reduce deep overbites. A simple removable device is worn full-time to level the deep bite and thus prevent detrimental wear to the front teeth. This procedure also shortens the time required in full braces as an adolescent.

Treatment results achieved during the period when a child has some primary (baby) teeth and newly formed adult teeth are generally retained until most of the permanent teeth have fully erupted. Therefore a transition period occurs which ranges from 6 months to 2 years.

During this time, a night retainer is usually recommended to maintain the early treatment results prior to the placement of full fixed braces around 12-14 years old.

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Questions about Orthodontics for children?

Our friendly staff are happy to assist with any questions you might have.

Please contact our Liverpool practice on (02) 9821 2413 or Carlingford on (02) 9873 2226

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