Why Have An Orthodontic (Braces) Assessment Early?

My patients and friends are constantly asking me about when their children should see somebody about braces, which are also known as orthodontics.

The simple answer to this is by the age of 10.

However, girls could actually be assessed a little earlier. Now why is this?

The maximum growth for children is between the age of 10-13 in girls (girls stop growing a lot quicker too) and about 12-14 in boys. Orthodontics and braces really are separated into two phases for children.

Phase 1

This is where we are trying to plan to use growth to our advantage to correct the position of the bones and basic alignment of the teeth so that as the majority of the adult teeth come in they are roughly in the right place.

In this phase, the bones of the face are in the best position so we can to try and make the smile as beautiful as we can but also the function of the teeth (chewing) as best we can to protect the teeth in the future.

Remember: straight, well positioned teeth are always easier to look after and will generally need less dental work in the future.

Phase 2

This is more about making sure the teeth are in a very nice alignment, and jaws are in correct position. If we have carried out phase 1, it is much more likely that teeth will not need to be removed to be able to fit all the teeth in nice and straight as the majority of growth has occurred so growth can’t be used for our advantage.

Cost of Braces (traditional orthodontics) with Adam;

For standard braces, the cost is between $5,500 – $8,000 inclusive of the orthodontic work up and retention. This may change a little but this is the base cost for standard braces depending on length of treatment.

Dr Adam Alford has advanced training through Progressive Orthodontics. Progressive Orthodontics has been the worldwide leader in comprehensive Orthodontic continuing education since 1984. Progressive Orthodontics is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education.