At My Family Dentistry in Knoxville, we love seeing families grow along with us. As children grow, they start losing teeth and new teeth often come in out of line. And so one of the top questions we get from our young families is, “will my child need braces?”
The Best Option for Kids
Orthodontics has been around for years, and has advanced considerably in the most recent years. Dr. Mullins is an Invisalign provider, which is a way to straighten teeth without putting on metal brackets. Although Invisalign is a great option for adults, for most children and adolescents, Dr. Mullins believes that traditional braces are a better option. Dr. Mullins refers most of his orthodontia cases to some very good specialists in our area. Before we refer you or your child to an orthodontist, we perform a simple exam.
In our office, Dr. Mullins and team start looking at dental and skeletal development at the very first visit, because looking at growth patterns in children can save costly and painful surgery later in life. Typically, children begin to lose teeth at age 7. They enter a stage of development that is cute, but can raise a lot of questions about their future development. Every person is different, and some children will be ahead of others in losing teeth, while others may be delayed.
Between the ages of 6-8, Dr. Mullins will sometimes see some issues that require some correction with braces before all the baby teeth are lost. Parents should not be alarmed, because this is only to prevent lengthy treatment in the future. Most of the time, orthodontic treatment or close monitoring by an orthodontist is recommended between the ages of 11-13.
That said, not everyone will need orthodontia. Human growth and development is awesome, and a wait and see approach is sometimes better than early intervention. Parents should not hesitate to ask Dr. Mullins and team questions, as children are more aware now than ever that their friends are getting braces.
We would love to help you find the right options for you and your family.
If you think your child needs braces or you are interested in straighter teeth, please contact our office.
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