What is an orthodontic evaluation?

At Smile Wright Dental, we are committed to partnering with you and your child for a lifetime of good oral health. While we do not offer orthodontia in our office, we do offer orthodontic evaluations and referrals to excellent orthodontists in the area. We care about your child’s smile, including its appearance. If we determine that your child is developing a bad bite or crooked teeth, we will recommend an orthodontic evaluation.

If you bring your child in for an orthodontic evaluation, you can expect the same level of comfort and care we employ for all of our dental services. The American Dental Association recommends that all children have an orthodontic evaluation by the time they are seven years old. By having your child evaluated at a young age, you can prevent some issues from developing and reduce the need for more orthodontic appliances down the road. When you visit Smile Wright Dental, Dr. Wright will closely examine your child’s mouth and will perform a series of dental x-rays to determine if orthodontia is a necessary step. We’ll explain our findings in detail, and give you a sense of what orthodontic treatment might be needed. While we do not offer orthodontic appliances in our office, we can refer you to one of many great orthodontic offices in the Xenia, Ohio area.

Is orthodontic treatment right for my child?

There are multiple reasons that your child might benefit from the use of orthodontic appliances like braces, retainers, palate expanders, and more. If your child’s adult teeth are coming in and causing moderate to severe crowding, or their front adult teeth came in very early, orthodontic appliances are recommended. Other signs that orthodontic treatment might be important for your child include:

• Difficulty with chewing and biting
• A jaw that clicks or makes other noises when it moves
• Facial asymmetry due to disproportionate jaws
• Finger or thumb sucking
• Bite misalignment

Common orthodontic issues

It is common for children to experience orthodontic problems like overcrowding, jaw irregularities, protruding teeth, bite irregularities, and teeth that are spaced too widely. While some of these problems are inherited, there are other causes for these issues:

• Poor nutrition
• Dental hygiene problems
• Underlying medical issues or birth defects
• Earlier or later primary tooth loss than normal
• Mouth breathing
• Finger or thumb sucking

How orthodontics can help

The orthodontist you choose to visit will take one or more of several approaches in treating your child. They will review the evaluation done at Smile Wright Dental and will do any other necessary evaluation and diagnostics. Sometimes, the best course of action is to just carefully monitor your child’s growth and address an issue at a later date. Other times, the orthodontist may recommend a series of appliances to fix any issues. Any course of treatment will serve to reduce the amount of treatment as your child ages and to prevent more complicated issues from occurring.

By bringing your child into Smile Wright Dental from an early age for regular appointments and for an orthodontic evaluation, you can catch any problems early and limit their impact on your child’s future dental health. During your child’s orthodontic evaluation, we will go over any details and discuss your preferences for an orthodontic practice. If you are interested in setting up an orthodontic evaluation for your child, call us today!