What is orthodontics?
Align your child’s teeth and jaws in order to improve their smile and oral health.
Orthodontic problems are called malocclusions (or bad bite). Common examples include crowded teeth, missing teeth, misaligned jaws, and extra teeth. Some are inherited while some malocclusions are acquired through accidents, improper care of a baby’s oral development, or even bad oral habits.
At Small World Dental we know that misaligned teeth can affect your child’s self-esteem and ability to chew food. Orthodontic treatment like braces and Invisalign can help move these problematic teeth into their proper area of placement.
Orthodontic treatment typically begins in the early teen years of your child. Treatment usually lasts between 6 months to 3 years. The duration of braces or Invisalign treatment can be determined after evaluating your kid's current dental condition.
What are the benefits of orthodontics?
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Increasing your child's self-esteem
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Reducing the risk of cavities and gum diseases
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Improving speech and oral hygiene
When do you start orthodontics?
Orthodontic treatment most often begins when your child has lost most of their baby teeth, and a majority of their permanent teeth have come in. Sometimes we may recommend an interceptive approach involving the use of dental appliances, which starts when your child still has most of their baby teeth. Then, when your child’s teeth have developed further, a second phase of treatment involving dental braces or Invisalign will begin.
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Stage 1 – Early Treatment (24 months to 6 years old): We focus on loss of primary teeth, finger, thumb sucking, and dental arches. Treatment initiated in this stage of development is very successful.
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Stage 2 – Mixed Dentition (6 to 13 years old): We focus on jaw formation and teeth alignment. This stage is important as your child’s teeth are responsive to braces.
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Stage 3 – Adolescent (13 to 18 years): We focus on making sure permanent teeth are fully straight and that the bite is perfectly aligned. By end of treatment your child will have a beautiful, straight, and healthy smile.
Bite conditions
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Deep overbite: or "deep bite" is caused by your child’s lower front teeth contacting the gum behind their upper teeth, which can cause significant bone damage and discomfort.
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Underbite: happens when your child’s lower jaw extends further than the upper jaw.
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Cross bite: occurs when your child’s upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth.
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Open bite: your child’s upper and lower incisor teeth are failing to make contact when they bite down, causing chewing to be less efficient and contributing to the wearing down of teeth.
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Spacing: when your child’s teeth are missing or small, or the dental arch is very wide, then the space between their teeth can become problematic and lead to low self-esteem.
Our orthodontist in Staten Island can help your child with any of the following bite conditions:
Tooth conditions
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Crowded: condition caused by poor alignment due to a smaller dental arch, or larger teeth which causes teeth to become thin and move inappropriately.
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Impacted: typically your child’s wisdom teeth can become impacted which may require them to be extracted.
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Protruding Upper (Overjet): if your child sucks their fingers, they may have this condition where the teeth move in a manner completely opposite of crowded teeth.
With help from orthodontics your child can overcome any of the following tooth conditions:
Orthodontics for straighter and healthier teeth
Be sure your child is up to date with their orthodontic care.
