Dr. John Fleming and the American Association of Orthodontists® suggest that children receive an orthodontic examination when they turn seven. Though this may seem like a very young age, it is the best time for our team at Quality Orthodontic Care to correct any skeletal imbalances in the face and jaw with orthopedic appliances. This early interceptive treatment is called phase one treatment, and its focus is on redirecting growth in order to help the jaw bones fit together correctly in the future.
What Is Phase One Orthodontics?
Some kids wear cranial helmets to guide skull growth. Oral guidance is just as important! Also known as early orthodontics or interceptive treatment, phase one orthodontics consists of preventive dental and orthodontic care that takes advantage of your child’s young, still-growing facial and jaw development to gently direct the child’s mouth to a healthier, more functional and better aligned smile in the future. If your child has experienced any of the following, we highly recommend visiting our office for phase one treatment:
- Premature loss of primary (baby) teeth
- Difficulty chewing or breathing correctly (including mouth breathing)
- Misaligned jaw
- Accident-prone teeth protrusion
As your child grows, early orthodontics can help ensure that their skull and jaw develop correctly. This may include eruption sequence planning and correction of alignment issues that would otherwise complicate and extend orthodontic treatment in the future. Depending on your child’s needs, our orthodontist may recommend one of our early treatment appliances to manipulate jaw growth and prevent the need for future oral surgeries. One example is our friendly palatal expansion device.
Why Is Phase One Important?
Phase one care can fix problems while they are small and easy to repair, and our orthodontist and team suggest that treatment be performed as soon as possible, especially if your child needs orthopedic attention. Phase one treatment can help create proper jaw function when one chews, swallows and speaks. It can also improve your child’s self-esteem because it enhances the chin’s profile. This treatment creates enough space in the mouth for the eruption of permanent teeth, and it may even eliminate the need for an invasive jaw surgery in the future. Neglecting to treat these issues until a later date may only make them worse, and they can also cause other problems to develop.
Some parents may worry about having their child at our office when they are still so young, but we find that children normally cooperate very well throughout their treatment. We believe that it is important for them to understand why we are providing this treatment and how they can help. When a child receives this support and knowledge, they may be more willing to work with us.
What Can I Expect From My Child’s Treatment?
Phase one treatment lasts for about 12 months while your child still has their baby teeth. Visits to our office will usually be 3 to 12 weeks apart, depending on your child’s needs. We allow a rest period of about 6 to 24 months afterwards so your child’s permanent teeth can grow in. Because of the added space in your child’s mouth, their permanent teeth may come in more quickly than normal. We suggest having your child go into phase two treatment immediately after this time. This phase will usually take 12 to 18 months as we align their permanent teeth using orthodontics.
The full two-phase orthodontic treatment includes:
Phase One:
- Lasts up to one year
- Tooth eruption guides
- Bite correction
- Monitoring of skeletal growth.
Resting Period:
- Occurs between phases
- Retainer or space maintainer
Phase Two:
- Begins after all teeth have erupted
- Tooth alignment
- Bite coordination
- Aesthetics
Invisalign® First
Our orthopedic and orthodontic treatments can give your child improved health for a lifetime. As a comfortable, hygienic and efficient approach to early orthodontics, we recommend the Invisalign® First system.
Benefits to phase one treatment with Invisalign include the following:
- Brushing and flossing is easy
- Your child can eat what they want
- Lower likelihood of needing immediate dental care if the appliance breaks
We believe that a smile is the shortest distance between people, and we look forward to giving you a strong, beautiful one. Call 770-901-2433 today to schedule your child’s free consultation with us!
