It is critical to take your child to a dentist when your baby is between 6 months and a year old stated by the AAPD, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Your baby starts developing teeth during this time and a fully qualified child dental specialist is best suited to examine the baby’s initial teeth health. After that, it is recommended to visit the dentist at least once every six months.
The baby’s milk teeth are only temporary but if they are not properly taken care of, an issue might carry forward and affect the permanent set of teeth. Any dental problem that may appear at a younger age will be present through adulthood if not tackled early on in life.
Phase I or early orthodontic treatment is designed for young children who still have their primary teeth. This may deter unsuitable alignment and the growth of permanent teeth. Depending on the specific issue the child has there are specific types of options available in early orthodontic treatment and a dentist in Stafford, VA can definitely help you with that.
Here are a few ways your child can benefit from paying a visit to the orthodontist!
Identifying problems early on: As mentioned earlier, your child’s orthodontist is equipped with the right skills to catch any critical problems in the early stages of development in their teeth, gums, and jaw. Noticing these problems beforehand can help avoid major oral complications in the future. If there aren’t any serious problems at hand, the orthodontist will make sure to follow up and check on your child’s oral progress and functioning through different phases.
Avoid speech impairments: More often than not, when a child shows signs of a speech impairment it is almost never linked to their teeth. If you have noticed that your child’s teeth or jaw are not properly aligned this could be the cause of difficulty in their speech.
The most common impairments that orthodontic treatment can help with are mispronouncing the “S” and “T” sounds, slurring, and lisping. One of the ways to do that is, while the teeth and jaw are still developing, correcting the alignment can ensure this problem won’t surface anytime in their adult lives.
Tooth Decay Risk Lowered
If your child is fortunate enough to have straight teeth, they are able to properly take care of their mouth by getting to the hard-to-reach areas easily, flossing is not much of a challenge once they figure out how to properly do it and overall maintenance is easier.
It is a whole other ball game with crooked teeth. Due to it being harder to brush and effectively clean spots that have food material stuck, it can sometimes lead to poor oral hygiene. Children that have crooked teeth are susceptible to getting issues like bad breath and worse, tooth decay.
Problems pertaining to crooked teeth are just the tip of the iceberg when they’re children so it is highly recommended to visit an orthodontist before they are seven years old.
Digestion is improved
Straight teeth and a jaw properly aligned allow your child to chew their food better. For optimal digestion, the food needs to break down into smaller pieces. This not only helps with digestion but their overall physical development as well. If your child’s teeth are misaligned, their orthodontist will recommend braces after a certain age to better their placement that helps with digestion and many other important factors in their development.
With the right oral care starting at an early age, your child’s oral health will be promised throughout their lives!