Early Intervention

When it comes to your child’s oral health, being proactive could make all the difference.

Early treatment, or what our doctor calls “pre-orthodontic guidance,” means treatment that is performed while some baby teeth are still present.

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that your child’s first check-up be performed when an orthodontic problem is first recognized, around age seven or eight.

Why so early? At this point, your child has enough permanent teeth for Dr. Tyler Eatchel to evaluate the developing teeth and jaw, which in turn, can provide a wealth of information. Dr. Tyler is trained to spot subtle problems even in young children.

There are generally three outcomes of an initial check-up:

• No treatment is expected to be necessary.
• Treatment may be needed in the future, so we monitor the child periodically while the face and jaw continue to grow.
• There is a problem that lends itself to early treatment.

While most orthodontic problems are best treated after all permanent teeth have come in, early treatment can be in a patient’s best interest if their problem is one that could become more serious over time if left untreated.

Our team has been serving our communities for generations, and we don’t intend on stopping anytime soon!

Many misalignment problems in children can be prevented or minimized through early intervention at North Attleboro Orthodontics. We do this in three ways.

Interception

• The goal of pre-orthodontic guidance is to intercept the developing problem, eliminate the cause, guide the growth of facial and jaw bones, and provide adequate space for incoming permanent teeth. In most instances, the patient will require a second course of treatment once all permanent teeth erupt.

Treatment: The small handful of problems Dr. Tyler may recommend treating while a child still has some baby teeth include:

• Thumb-sucking or pacifier-sucking that is affecting the teeth or jaw growth
• Teeth that meet abnormally or don’t meet at all
• Excessively spaced teeth
• Very crowded teeth
• Crossbites (when the jaw shifts to one side)
• Underbites (when the lower front teeth are ahead of the upper front teeth)
• Some of these orthodontic problems are inherited, while others may result from accidents, dental disease, or airway obstruction.

Monitoring

• Whether treatment has been taken or not, Dr. Tyler will continue to monitor any concerns or potential risks. As your child grows, he may recommend interceptive care or plan for future orthodontic treatment.
• Regardless, your family is not alone. We partner with you during your child’s development so we can make any adjustments when needed.