—
As parents, we always want the best for our child. And while they are still growing and dependent on our care, we want to maximise the time by focusing on our child’s health, as even the smallest things can lead to their optimum growth and wellbeing. This is why we don’t want to lose sight of what goes inside their mouth and what develops in their oral health. You know what they say – it’s better to get ahead of potential dental issues before your child turns ten, and it’s important to have early intervention orthodontics Melbourne to save a lot of issues down the track. Let’s break it down to bits so you and your kid won’t get overwhelmed.
What Exactly Is an Orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dentist that has done extra years of training to specialise in how teeth and jaws move, grow, and even fit together in your mouth. This procedure is more complex than checking your child’s teeth for decay and cleaning them, as an orthodontist steps in to deal with early issues with bite problems or jaw growth so that your child can chew properly and speak clearly even at a young age. Ultimately, the goal is for the child to maintain good oral hygiene early on.
Why Early Orthodontic Checks Matter
You might be feeling a bit rushed as a baby’s teeth fall out eventually, but in reality, your baby’s teeth play a huge role in guiding its adult teeth into their appropriate positions so that if there are signs of some teeth growing oddly or getting overcrowded, the orthodontist can pick up on the problems before they become serious and permanent. Don’t worry, as this is mostly about monitoring your baby’s developing oral health to save you from having to deal with more difficult problems if left untreated.
What we mean is that early checks with an orthodontist can help with the following common signs:
- Making sure there is enough space for your child’s adult teeth to grow properly,
- Ensuring that the upper jaw and lower jaw grow together and in sync to prevent crossbites and even open bites,
- Keeping an eye on the alignment of the mouth so that your child can speak and talk the way they should, and
- Help manage thumb-sucking, breathing using their mouths, and any other habits before they even cause long-term effects.
Common Signs Your Child Might Need to See an Orthodontist
They say that parents know best when something feels off with their child – and by this, we mean that parents need not be professionals to notice some everyday signs to get an orthodontic opinion. Here are some of those:
- When your child’s teeth are twisting or overlapping, this can lead to plaque build-up because brushing takes a lot of work.
- Losing baby teeth too early or too late, as this can affect how the adult teeth pop up.
- Consistency in breathing through the mouth, especially during sleep, that can also be linked to other issues outside of their oral health.
- The habit of thumb sucking that can push the upper teeth and result in an open bite.
- Difficulty with pronouncing words that sometimes stems from having misaligned teeth or jaw.
- Avoiding certain foods as they struggle to chew them.
- Teeth that are often protruding outside of the mouth that can get damaged during a fall when left untreated.
What Happens at the Orthodontic Appointment
Usually the first visit will all be about asking the dental history of your child and the current patterns in their lifestyle, after which simple examinations like aligning the jaw and checking the teeth will be done. If there are other procedures needed, the orthodontist will explain the findings and give options on how to monitor and treat it early on. The goal of every early and regular check-up is to set up the right conditions so that the adult teeth of your child will come in naturally and evenly.
Prepare Your Child (and Yourself) To Optimum Oral Health
There’s really no way of preparing your child other than telling it to them straight. Kids are more understanding of the world, and often, the fear we feel as parents is the only thing that ties them down. As long as we keep an open mind and let our kids know early on that prioritising their overall health is one of the key treasures we can pass down to them, they will feel the responsibility to take care of themselves as well.
—
