Navigating the ins and outs of orthodontic treatment can seem like a maze of braces, aligners, and jargon. But fear not! At Ivy City Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, we’re here to help you understand your child’s options. From understanding orthodontics to knowing what treatments your kids can get, let’s dive in and make our world make a little more sense.
Orthodontic Treatment for Your Child
Orthodontic treatments for children aim to correct misaligned teeth and jaw structures. We strive to guide your child’s dental growth to create a happy, healthy smile. Let’s look into the foundation of their orthodontic care, its goals, and how important early treatment is.
Objectives of Orthodontic Treatments
Our goal when treating your child is to straighten their smile and prevent future issues. These treatments aim to:
Correct Bite Problems: Bite problems, called malocclusions, can be overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites. These can affect how your child eats, speaks, and even breathes. Orthodontic treatment aims to align the jaws for a healthy bite and smile.
Align Teeth: Your child’s teeth may appear crooked, crowded, or spaced apart. This can make brushing and flossing a challenge and bring serious oral problems. Straightening their teeth not only improves appearance but also makes their oral hygiene better.
Guiding Their Jaw: Sometimes, orthodontic treatment can affect how your child’s jaw grows. We treat the jaw to make sure there’s enough space in their smile for their permanent teeth and to improve facial symmetry as they grow.
Prevent Future Problems: One of the biggest goals of early orthodontic evaluations is to spot potential problems and create a plan to treat them before they become harder to treat. This not only helps your child but saves you from expensive procedures down the road.
Timing & Early Intervention
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that your child have their first orthodontic evaluation by age 7. This first evaluation lets Dr. JC catch any of your child’s potential smile issues and begin crafting a plan to treat them. Once we know the path to your child’s great smile, we’ll begin Phase One treatment.
Phase One treatment uses your child’s still developing growth to its advantage. We’ll target specific issues, such as jaw growth, stopping harmful habits like thumb sucking, and make sure there’s enough room in their smile for their permanent teeth. Phase One treatment can improve your child’s oral health, jaw function, and smile appearance.
Types Of Treatments For Your Child
Orthodontic treatments have evolved over the years, and now there’s a variety of options to fit your child’s specific needs. These treatments aim to correct misalignments and provide comfortable and tailored work for your child. From metal braces to Invisalign, we’ll find a treatment that fits your child at Ivy City Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics.
Metal Braces
Metal braces are the tried-and-tested way to treat your child’s smile. Orthodontists have used them for decades to tackle the most complex dental issues. Metal braces consist of two main pieces: Metal Brackets and an Archwire.
We attach the brackets to each tooth to serve as an anchor point for the archwire. The archwire guides your child’s smile, providing gentle pressure on the teeth, gradually moving them into their perfect spot. You’ll visit us every few weeks to have their archwire adjusted, keeping their treatment on track.
Modern metal braces are smaller and more comfortable than the ones you may have grown up with. While sleeker and smaller, they’re still our best option for treating complex issues like overcrowding. They give Dr. JC precise control over the movement of each of your child’s teeth, creating great results.
Clear Braces
Clear braces are very similar to metal braces. They use brackets attached to your child’s teeth and an archwire to guide them. But the main difference is that clear braces use ceramic brackets that blend into the natural color of their teeth instead of metal brackets.
This difference makes the braces less noticeable and a more popular choice among older children and teenagers who may be more self-conscious about their treatments.
Clear braces are a great option for those looking for a discreet but effective treatment. They provide a less visible solution but can be more fragile than metal braces and require more careful handling.
Invisalign
Invisalign can be a good option for our older kids and teenagers if they have mild to moderate issues and need a more flexible treatment. Invisalign is a series of custom-made, clear aligners that are see-through, removable, and efficient.
Each set is custom-fitted to your child’s teeth, making things smooth and comfortable. Every one to two weeks, your child will change aligners. Each set of aligners is different, gradually moving their teeth into place.
Invisalign also comes with compliance indicators. These are little notches along the back of your child’s aligners that fade from blue to clear to help you and Dr. JC know that your child is wearing their aligners.
Making Children Smile At Ivy City Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics
Your child is unique, and so is their smile. At Ivy City Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics in Washington, DC, we strive to create a personalized, effective treatment that brings out their best smile. If you have any more questions or are ready to begin your child’s treatment, give us a call or schedule your free consultation today!
