Orthodontia for Children

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children be evaluated by an orthodontist at age 7, although most children can wait until age 8. Orthodontists are trained in facial growth and can identify children who will benefit from early treatment.

Dr. Lawrence teaches many courses on how to recognize children who would benefit from early treatment. He teaches this and many other topics to the orthodontic residents at Case Western Reserve University and the dental hygiene students at Lakeland Community College. He also provides continuing education to local dentists and their staffs.

We won’t rush into treatment just to have you as a paying patient. We will treat your children’s health care with the same respect and consideration that we treat our own (and how we expect to be treated elsewhere). With an evaluation at our office, Dr. Lawrence will determine if your child would benefit from early treatment. If not, he will recommend when your child should come back and we will monitor their facial growth until they will benefit from treatment. There is no charge for the initial evaluation and there is no charge for the follow-up visits until treatment starts.

You do not need a referral from your family dentist to make an
appointment for an evaluation of your child.

If you or your dentist are unsure if your child needs to be evaluated, then the answer is YES: They should be evaluated. Please call for an appointment for your child. We will take digital X-rays and photos, and Dr. Lawrence will do a complete orthodontic examination. Then he will recommend the best plan for your child (which very well may be waiting for further growth and development). However, if your child needs treatment, the benefits of catching the problem early are huge.

By seeing children when they are young, we can often spot subtle problems with jaw growth and the emerging adult teeth, while baby teeth are present. While your child’s teeth may appear aligned, there could be a problem developing. An orthodontic examination, with X-rays, will detect the problems. Early treatment may prevent more serious problems from developing, and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated. In many cases, we will be able to achieve results that are not possible later in growth, especially in regards to minimizing or eliminating the need for permanent tooth removal.

From Dr. Lawrence: “It is my opinion that far too many young patients are receiving orthodontic treatment. There is undoubtedly a huge benefit to early orthodontic treatment for a small number of patients, and I have extensive training and experience in these techniques. However, the vast majority of patients benefit the most from being treated in a single phase technique started at the appropriate time, usually around age 12. It is critical to start orthodontic evaluations well before this age so the start of each child’s treatment can be individualized for their own maximum benefit.”

In our office, the vast majority of young patients do not receive treatment right away, but benefit from periodic evaluation from our office. Dr. Lawrence uses his knowledge of facial growth and dental development to appropriately time the start of treatment for each person.

The history of early treatment (orthodontics for younger children): Starting in the mid 1980s, the “latest and greatest” method was to provide two phases treatment for virtually all children. For some children this is still beneficial, but certainly not for most kids. Phase I in this treatment plan takes place in children who are losing baby teeth (7-10 years old) and usually involves a palate expander to make room for adult teeth and some braces. The child will then have Phase II Treatment, comprehensive braces (a full set of braces), at around age 12.

After many years of following that recommended method, we found that two phases is extremely beneficial for children who are experiencing out-of-balance facial growth (read more about this below), or severe crowding. But for many children, it just means a longer time overall in braces without much benefit and without a better end result.

When to come in: Now.
When to do treatment: We’ll see.

Causes of out-of-balance growth

Out-of-balance growth can be caused by a number of factors including mouth breathing and airway issues, genetics, thumb and finger sucking and other oral habits, and premature baby tooth loss.

Like other family traits, certain patterns of tooth and jaw development also “run in families.” If you have an older child in treatment, or are setting up an exam for an older child, we recommend setting up an exam for younger children as well (if they are age 7 or more). As we discussed above, many younger children will be placed on observation, but we’d rather have you come in and not need treatment right away, rather than wait and miss the growth opportunity that is so beneficial to the orthodontic treatment of some children.

Out-of-balance growth, if left uncorrected, can cause major facial esthetic and orthodontic problems. While bones are still growing we can guide their development and avoid later more serious problems that can only be corrected with surgery. For some children, early treatment can makes a huge difference in their quality of life and future.

Click here to return to top of About Orthodontia