Early orthodontics are treatments that are performed on younger patients, often before their permanent teeth come in. These treatments, also known as Phase 1 Orthodontics, are extremely beneficial for many reasons.
Often, we think of orthodontics as being for teenagers and sometimes, for adults. Phase II Orthodontics are definitely more common. However, we are huge fans of Phase 1 Orthodontics at Inspire Dental Wellness, and we’ve seen some pretty impressive success stories first hand!
In this blog, we’re going to share three of the biggest benefits when it comes to early orthodontic treatment.
Benefit #1 – Early Orthodontics Create Healthy Jaw Joints
Healthy jaw joints is not something most parents think about, but trust us, it is SO important. A healthy jaw joint allows children to open their mouth without difficulty, pain, clicking, or locking.
Addressing an underdeveloped or misaligned jaw joint with functional orthodontics has a few other surprising benefits as well. For example, it may eliminate chronic headaches, dizziness, fainting, neck pain, ear aches, and ringing in the ears.
If your child is dealing with these symptoms, they may have an issue with their jaw joint. We’d love to take a look and let you know if we think orthodontics can help them!
Benefit #2 – They Will Breathe Easier… Literally
This is a subject we could go on and on about, but basically, narrow dental arches and/or mouth breathing can cause a number of serious issues. Headaches, low oxygen levels, and even sleep apnea (where your child stops breathing at night) are just a few.
Children who suffer from sleep apnea can face a lifetime of difficulties. The lack of quality rest can lead to behavioral and concentration issues in school, which often get misdiagnosed as ADHD.
Before prescribing any kind of medication, we always like to see if an orthodontic treatment can address the underlying issue first.
Benefit #3 – Ensuring Proper Tongue Function
Narrow jaws can prevent your child’s tongue from functioning normally, which can cause speech issues. In some cases, the tongue might actually be tethered to the floor of the mouth by an altered lingual frenum (this is something we can easily treat with our LightScalpel CO2 Laser).
If functional orthodontics are necessary, we will recommend a solution that will actually expand the size of your child’s jaw to make more room for the tongue. After their treatment, they should be able to speak normally and their adult teeth won’t come in crowded. In this case, an early orthodontic treatment may actually negate the need for braces or aligners later on in life!
If you’re concerned about your child’s teeth, we would love to take a look and let you know what we recommend. Remember, when it comes to orthodontic treatments, we offer some really great financial options, including our membership club, to make paying for treatments a little easier on your family.
The friendly and knowledgeable team at Inspire Dental Wellness in Orland Park is here to answer any questions you have! Just give us a call at 708-460-6699 or reach out via our website contact form.