At what age should a child first see an ortho? Should I wait for the general dentist to make the referral, or be proactive and just make the appointment?
I've heard age 7, but is it variable?
First Ortho Visit
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momof2grlz
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usually by 7 just to make sure there isnt something that should be corrected NOW
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Whirliebird
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my daughter has just been referred to my ortho for her first assesment and she is almost 15. 
This is the way things are done over here in the UK.
Dentists will wait until all baby teeth have fallen out before refering them, i have asked for this as she still has two stubborn baby teeth in her bottom jaw, and she is keen to get her teeth sorted asap. As I am, I want her to do this before she gets much older, I don't want her to suffer from low self confidence for years like I did.(now in my 40's and braced)
I can't believe that children as young as 7 are seen in the USA. No wonder you all have fantastic teeth..
This is the way things are done over here in the UK.
Dentists will wait until all baby teeth have fallen out before refering them, i have asked for this as she still has two stubborn baby teeth in her bottom jaw, and she is keen to get her teeth sorted asap. As I am, I want her to do this before she gets much older, I don't want her to suffer from low self confidence for years like I did.(now in my 40's and braced)
I can't believe that children as young as 7 are seen in the USA. No wonder you all have fantastic teeth..
Damon 3's top and bottom
Our pediatric dentist referred us to the ortho to correct my younger daughter's crossbite, even though she is only 8 and hasn't lost many baby teeth. The thinking is: it's better to get the expansion done asap before the palate begins to fuse and the adult teeth begin to come down.
You can always ask your child's dentist if he/she thinks it would be wise to be seen by an ortho. Or you can be pro-active and take them in yourself. Today the thinking is: see an ortho around ages 7-8 to see what's going on.
My ortho has taken a look at the bite of my older daugther and has told me that so far everthing looks OK and we might consider braces after all her baby teeth finally fall out, because she does have some gaps. But she never got molds or x-rays, just a look-over. Her bite is good and her teeth are relatively straight. So she might get braces at around age 13 or 14 for a while to close those gaps.
I know some people think that the "see the kid at age 7-8" is a ploy to make money. But really it's not. If there are techical issues like major crossbites, it's better to get palate expansion done at an earlier age so the teeth grow in better. It will also help improve your child's jaw and facial growth.
One thing I must caution against is: extraction of teeth for children/young teens. If a doc tells you that he wants to extract, please get other opinons. Extraction in children may be necessary in some cases, but you should investigate other options before making that decision.
You can always ask your child's dentist if he/she thinks it would be wise to be seen by an ortho. Or you can be pro-active and take them in yourself. Today the thinking is: see an ortho around ages 7-8 to see what's going on.
My ortho has taken a look at the bite of my older daugther and has told me that so far everthing looks OK and we might consider braces after all her baby teeth finally fall out, because she does have some gaps. But she never got molds or x-rays, just a look-over. Her bite is good and her teeth are relatively straight. So she might get braces at around age 13 or 14 for a while to close those gaps.
I know some people think that the "see the kid at age 7-8" is a ploy to make money. But really it's not. If there are techical issues like major crossbites, it's better to get palate expansion done at an earlier age so the teeth grow in better. It will also help improve your child's jaw and facial growth.
One thing I must caution against is: extraction of teeth for children/young teens. If a doc tells you that he wants to extract, please get other opinons. Extraction in children may be necessary in some cases, but you should investigate other options before making that decision.
Last edited by bbsadmin on Thu Jun 09, 2005 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
I agree, the earlier the better to check all is OK.
My daughter is 11, and had lost space in her mouth due to loosing baby teeth early. She had a palate expander in for 3 weeks and now has a "spider" device, lip bumper and headgear. She is an absolute star about wearing it all, and the results are spectacular - space is now improving for her impacted eye teeth to come through. All her devices are removable (the palate expander wasn`t) and she takes it all out to eat and clean her teeth.
My son is 8 and I took him along with his sister for a consultation. He would also be prone to crowding, but having seen the ortho soon enough, we are now on an easier programme for him. He wears top and bottom lip bumpers to keep his lips from pushing against the teeth, and wears head gear at night to hold the back teeth back where they belong.
Again - don`t be scared to get a second opinion if you`re not happy. The first ortho we saw wanted to remove 4 teeth, I wanted to avoid that if possible and found an ortho that doesn`t use the extraction method. Other friends children have had extractions, and their teeth are also looking good - it`s what you feel happy with, and trusting your orthos judgement. But be prepared to check out other options before commiting.
My daughter is 11, and had lost space in her mouth due to loosing baby teeth early. She had a palate expander in for 3 weeks and now has a "spider" device, lip bumper and headgear. She is an absolute star about wearing it all, and the results are spectacular - space is now improving for her impacted eye teeth to come through. All her devices are removable (the palate expander wasn`t) and she takes it all out to eat and clean her teeth.
My son is 8 and I took him along with his sister for a consultation. He would also be prone to crowding, but having seen the ortho soon enough, we are now on an easier programme for him. He wears top and bottom lip bumpers to keep his lips from pushing against the teeth, and wears head gear at night to hold the back teeth back where they belong.
Again - don`t be scared to get a second opinion if you`re not happy. The first ortho we saw wanted to remove 4 teeth, I wanted to avoid that if possible and found an ortho that doesn`t use the extraction method. Other friends children have had extractions, and their teeth are also looking good - it`s what you feel happy with, and trusting your orthos judgement. But be prepared to check out other options before commiting.