Early Childhood Treatment
Phase One orthodontic treatment — also called early interceptive orthodontic treatment— does the heavy lifting in addressing the following skeletal and dental issues while your child’s jaw is more easily responsive. Early orthodontic treatment guides oral development while the jaws are easier to manipulate.
- Significant crowding and misalignment with your child’s baby teeth.
- Early loss of baby teeth due to injury or tooth decay
- Protruding front teeth, which are more susceptible to injury
- Skeletal issues like a severe overbite, underbite, open bite or crossbite (either anterior, or posterior)
- Problems with chewing or biting
- Speech difficulties with pronunciations or speaking clearly
Phase One treatment, if necessary, is usually initiated on children between the ages of 7 and 10 and usually lasts about 9-12 months. It may involve a child wearing an appliance like a space maintainer, a palatal expander, thumb-sucking appliance or limited braces.
Space Maintainer
Has your child lost a baby tooth prematurely to tooth decay or injury? If so, the resulting space needs to stay open so the adult tooth has room to come in when it’s time.
Palate Expander
A Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE) is an upper appliance that places pressure on the upper jaw (maxilla) by turning a midline screw. The pressure separates the mid palatal suture thus making the maxilla wider, which can correct crossbites and create space. RPEs are used often to correct posterior crossbites.
Limited Braces
Also called limited braces, they are placed only on the teeth that need them in order to correct malocclusion and straighten misaligned teeth.
The period following Phase One treatment is called the “resting period,” during which growth and tooth eruption are closely monitored. Throughout this period, parents and patients will be kept informed of future treatment recommendations.