Ortho question

[TheLabGuy]

Keeping in mind my talents of bending wire are about as limited as coming across a pregnant nun........with that in mind, I got a ortho question I asked in dental town I want to ortho techs?

What is the age you've heard that is a good age to get orthodontics done?
earliest age?

[labdude]

Touchy sometimes.
I have worked on cases as young as 4 years. Need of a quadhelix.
Starting time might be early for a case that has special needs. Cleft palate and such.
Some Drs. won't do what is refered to as "first phase" or some such thing. Others will work on super youngsters sometimes because the parents are insistant, and money is no object. The reasons for an early start are numerous.
My son did not require ortho. Walks funny, but, so do I. I haven't had ortho either.
Seems to be most cases I have seen over 38 years are most cosmetic in nature. Then again, what do I really know, xrays show a problem I can't see on work models.Also a perfect alignment is thought to be cleaner and such. Shark like is difficult to floss.
I saw it posted just recently in my forum on another site, "Start slow and build up, only floss the teeth you want to keep"
My opinion is nothing more than that, and I am an expert on my opinion.
Seems maybe the teen years are a good start point for the most part, to me.
Having a mouth full of brackets is a statis symbol as well for some teens. Some till the discomfort sets in. (There is no such thing as pain in ortho, just discomfort.) :-)

[RetainerDesigner]

After being on the telephone with my Orthodontic clients and being put on hold while they go get the doctor. I listen to the recorded message. It states,"Bring your child in at the age of 7 for a check up" If they do need work best to start early with a functional appliance that can take advantage of growing jaws and facial features. I seen some patients that start "phase one"and end up not needing braces or if they do only to "touch up" a few crooked teeth. The older you start braces the more difficult it is to move teeth, and more discomfort for the adult patient.
So age 7 the kid is in mixed dentition, has his/her 6 year molars in ....and if there is something wrong better to catch it at a young age.

Like Labdude said I have seen an orthodontist of mine turn away many a patent because it is just too soon. The parent would get mad because the Jones' down the street just got braces on their child. So the parent would take their child to the next orthodontist that puts something in every child that comes in. Different strokes for different folks.

Cade

[trisha]

Having a mouth full of brackets is a statis symbol as well for some teens. Some till the discomfort sets in. (There is no such thing as pain in ortho, just discomfort.) :-)

Yep!

Each doctor has their own philosophy about "first phase", some think its not necessary. I am not educated enought to give my opinion on the subject. I just do as I'm told.I have seen the use of expanders a lot to widen the smiles, as that is the look now a days. I think it is aesthetically more pleasing then extracting the bicuspids. That was what was done in my teen years. YUK.
trisha

[RetainerDesigner]

Originally Posted by trisha

as that is the look now a days. I think it is aesthetically more pleasing then extracting the bicuspids. That was what was done in my teen years. YUK.

Yea, looks like the fuller mouth the popular choice among orthodontist, Thanks Julia Roberts!