Early Orthopedic Orthodontic Treatment

Your CHILDREN deserve…

Beautiful Smiles

Mouth breathing can cause narrow arches and unattractive smiles in children. By using functional appliances while children are still developing and growing, we can help them achieve a broad, beautiful smile as their adult teeth come in. The American Association of Orthodontists | AAO (aaoinfo.org)

Healthy Jaw Joints

Many children with narrow jaws, deep overbites, or receding lower jaws have problems in their jaw joints which can cause the following:

Headaches
Neck pain
Dizziness
Earaches
Fainting
Clicking or locking jaws
Difficulty opening jaws
Ringing in the ears

Early use of functional appliances can prevent or eliminate these problems.

To Breathe Freely

Mouth breathing can lead to orthodontic problems and other problems such as lack of oxygen and poor sleep habits. This leaves children prone to daytime fatigue, an inability to concentrate in school and headaches.

An End to Ear Pain

Deep overbites and receding lower jaws may cause earaches, stuffiness or ringing in the ears. If infection has been ruled out, functional appliances can eliminate these symptoms effectively.

Facilitated Speech Development

Narrow jaws can confine the tongue and interfere with normal speech. Functional appliances help ensure proper growth and greatly enhance a child’s ability to speak normally.

Your Support

Parents want the best for their children; straight teeth, properly sized jaws, straight profiles and beautiful smiles.

By treating problems early, you save money and may prevent the need for more extensive future treatment.

Why Are Functional Appliances So Important?

Functional Appliances Can Help Correct:

Bite Problems
Underdeveloped Jaws
Narrow Arches
Crowded Teeth
Deep Overbites
Jaw Joint Problems
Airway Problems
Thumb Sucking Habits

And Can Often Prevent:

Removal of Adult Teeth
Fang-Like Tooth Appearance
Lengthy Use of Braces
Speech Difficulties
Crowding

To Eliminate Crowding

Crowded teeth are caused by narrow arches. By developing the arches at an early age, we may prevent or eliminate the crowding of permanent teeth. Another advantage is that early treatment often eliminates the need to remove any adult teeth.

To Correct Underdeveloped Jaws

Almost 50% of children who need orthodontic treatment due to a bad bite have underdeveloped lower jaws. Functional appliances can reposition the lower jaw forward, improve the child’s profile and correct the bite problem – within 7 to 9 months!

Early Treatment is Key! Get Your Child’s Smile Off to a Healthy Start

Facial Development

75% of 12-year-olds need orthodontic treatment. Yet 90% of a child’s face has already developed! By guiding facial development earlier, through the use of functional appliances, 80% of the treatment can be corrected before the adult teeth are present!

Cooperation

Younger children between the ages of 8 and 11 are often much more cooperative than children of 12 to 14.

Shorter Treatment Time

Another advantage of early Phase One treatment is that children will need to wear fixed braces on their adult teeth for less time.

Two Phase Treatment

Phase One

Functional Appliances – Ages 5 to 12

Early treatment should be initiated for:

Habits such as tongue thrusting and thumb sucking
A constricted airway due to swollen adenoids or tonsils
Mouth breathing or snoring problems
A bad bite
Bone problems (such as narrow or underdeveloped jaw)

Phase Two

Braces – Ages 12 to 14

Teeth are straightened with braces
Braces usually take about 1.5 to 2 years
Teeth are whitened

Our dental office takes pride in achieving excellence in dental health! Best orthodontics office in Los Angeles and Irvine – Braces America