When I tell parents that they should take their child to see an orthodontist by the age of seven, I often get shocked responses. “Seven? Why so early?” While a visit to the orthodontist to start therapy at this age may seem premature, there are actually several reasons for this. Here’s why an oral evaluation in early childhood is so important.

Why Seven Years?

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends seeing an orthodontist by this age, as this is around the time when children have at least two upper front teeth, four lower front teeth, and four permanent molars erupting. Orthodontists know very well what your child's orthodontic health will look like at this age.

Keep in mind that at the age of seven, a child may often begin therapy, and an assessment of orthodontic health can already be made as early as four years old when the child has full primary dentition. As an example, you can see in your child if they are pushing their lower jaw to the side or forward, creating what is known as a crossbite, which is important to detect early so as not to direct jaw growth in an undesirable direction.

Why Should a Child Visit the Orthodontist?

Assessing orthodontic health in early childhood is valuable if the child has any problems with their teeth, jaws, or bite. These problems are easier to resolve at a younger age because both teeth and jaws are still growing. Intervention at this age can be more effective, quicker, less intense, and cheaper than waiting for the problem to be resolved in adolescence when the teeth and jaws have already set in the wrong position.

Rare anomalies are treated after growth and development. The basic functional parameters in orthodontics that are important for the body’s overall alignment are established before adolescence.

Intervention at this age can help with certain anomalies, and it is crucial that they are diagnosed in time. For example, with open bites, abnormal joint growth, the need to create space for permanent teeth, closing gaps, or preserving space in the event of premature tooth loss, and in cases of various harmful habits like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, and teeth grinding… The goal of the evaluation is not necessarily to start treatment but to create a plan for future treatment if needed.

Evaluation Doesn’t Mean Treatment

I believe that some parents hesitate to take their child to the orthodontist at a young age because they think it means their child will be told they need braces. This is not true. In fact, most children don’t need treatment at this age. Either they don’t have any problems, or their issues will resolve later. Only about 15% of the children I see at this age undergo the first phase of orthodontic treatment.

However, if treatment is recommended, it could be something simple, such as a space maintainer for a permanent tooth or more of them, or an appliance that helps stop a destructive habit like thumb-sucking. Or it could be active appliances like an expander that changes the size of the jaw. Sometimes, the orthodontist may recommend the preventive removal of a few teeth to create space in the mouth for permanent teeth.

Sometimes, the orthodontist asks the dentist not to remove baby teeth to preserve space for permanent ones.

Request a Visit to the Orthodontist for Your Child

If your child has not yet been to an orthodontist and your dentist has not referred them (dentists cannot usually recognize signs of future anomalies), as you now know, there are good reasons for the first visit to the orthodontist at an early age. Either your child will be one of the majority who do not yet have any problems, or they will be one of the few who do, and in that case, early intervention can be more effective, cheaper, and less painful than at a later age. In any case, both you and your child will have an orthodontic health plan for the future.