Growth-Stage Orthodontic Treatment That Considers Your Child’s Face, Too
“Does our child need orthodontic treatment?”
The right timing for orthodontic treatment is different for every child. The Korean Association of Orthodontists and the American Association of Orthodontists both recommend an orthodontic consultation no later than age 7. Through a consultation with an orthodontist, it is best to decide whether it is better for your child to receive orthodontic treatment now or to postpone it. And keep this in mind: once the permanent teeth have erupted, it may already be too late!
Korean Association of Orthodontists | American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)
Children’s orthodontics — what should be considered?
1 It must consider growth and the face — not just the teeth.
Children are still growing. Unlike adults, children can receive growth-modification treatment that harnesses their growth potential — and this treatment becomes impossible once its window is missed. Yonsei Godeok S Dental Clinic analyzes which stage of growth your child is currently in, and uses that analysis to determine the timing and method of orthodontic treatment. The greatest advantage of growth-modification treatment is that it can even improve a child’s facial appearance. Yonsei Godeok S considers not only the teeth but your child’s face as well.
Yonsei Godeok S’s Growth Analysis Program
We determine where your child currently stands in the growth curve and how much growth remains, through an analysis based on the child’s condition and a hand X-ray.
- Improvement of a protruding lower jaw (underbite) through growth-modification orthodontics — profile before and after
- Improvement of the facial profile through growth-modification orthodontics — profile before and after
2 There must be a clear benefit.
“If we do braces now, won’t they have to be done again once our child grows up?”
This is one of the questions parents ask most often. Depending on the child, sometimes a single course of orthodontic treatment at an early age can be expected to give a good result; sometimes two phases of treatment are truly necessary; and sometimes it is better to wait and treat just once after the permanent teeth have erupted. In other words, when treating once after all the permanent teeth are in is the better option, it is better to postpone early treatment — the child struggles less, and it is more economical in both cost and time. Yonsei Godeok S Dental Clinic precisely diagnoses your child’s condition and, in every case, recommends orthodontic treatment only when there is a clear benefit to the child.
“If any of the following concerns you, we recommend having a consultation.”
- A severely protruding lower jaw (underbite) or a receding chin
- Upper and lower front teeth that bite in reverse (anterior crossbite)
- When a permanent tooth seems to be erupting in an unusual direction, or not erupting at all
- Permanent teeth coming in very crooked or widely spaced
- Flared, protruding front teeth
- If you have been told that a tooth is trapped inside the bone (an impacted tooth)
- If you would prefer, whenever possible, for your child to be treated later without extracting permanent teeth