About Orthodontics

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For Children

As in the case of most orthodontists, the largest percentage of patients in our practice is composed of children and adolescents. We are particularly ardent believers in the value of interceptive orthodontic treatment on young, elementary school-age children. Often, these early efforts successfully transform severe developmental problems into much more routine and treatable problems by the time such children reach adolescence. Treatment procedures on young children may take the form of elimination of adverse habits such as thumb-sucking or tongue-thrusting, or may focus upon space gaining procedures in an effort to avoid, when possible, the extraction of permanent teeth in cases of dental overcrowding.

In more severe problems, we utilize technologically advanced appliances that favorably influence the growth of developing jaws in an effort to harmonize skeletal relationships and, hopefully, eliminate the need for adult surgical correction.

Once most of the permanent teeth have fully erupted, which, in most cases, occurs between the ages of eleven and thirteen, treatment with "full braces" can proceed. Typical active cases in our office are routinely completed in 18-24 months, and are followed by long-term use of retaining devices to ensure the stability of the correction. It is our standard practice to periodically evaluate our young patients well after the conclusion of active therapy so that we may monitor the eruption of the wisdom teeth and further assure satisfactory long-term stability of our result.