• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
ArchWired

ArchWired

a websitefor adults in orthodontic braces

New_badge
MENUMENU
  • Before Getting Braces
        • Dental Braces 101 – START HERE
        • 12 Things To Know Before Getting Braces
        • How Do Dental Braces Work?
        • Getting Teeth Extracted for Braces
        • Reader Stories: My First Day In Dental Braces
        • What are Orthodontic Spacers?
        • What Type of Dental Braces Are Best?
        • The Best Age To Begin Orthodontic Treatment
        • Preventing TMJ & Jaw Problems in Kids
        • A Brief History of Orthodontics
        • Getting Jaw Surgery
        • Osteoporosis Drugs and Orthodontics
        • Braces vs. Clear Aligners
  • Just Got Braces
        • Dental Braces 101 – Part 4: Oral Hygiene
        • Ouch! I Have A Canker Sore!
        • Food Tips for Braces
        • Help! Did I Stain My Dental Braces?
        • What are Orthodontic Spacers?
  • During Braces Treatment
        • Dental Braces 101 – Part 5: Self-Esteem
        • Food Tips for Braces
        • What Is An Orthodontic Adjustment?
        • Can I Change My Own Ligatures?
        • Help! Did I Stain My Dental Braces?
        • All About Orthodontic Elastics
        • All About Orthodontic Power Chains
        • All About Orthodontic Arch Wires
        • Dental Braces and Moving
        • Dental Braces and Romance
        • Dental Braces In The Bedroom
        • Dental Braces and Pregnancy
        • Treating TMJ Disorder
          with Physical Therapy
        • Headgear As An Adult
        • Braces and Snorkeling or Scuba Diving
        • Understanding Temporary Anchorage Devices (TADS)
        • About the TPA
          Orthodontic Appliance
  • Retainers After Braces
        • How To Properly Clean Your Retainers or Aligner Trays
        • Dental Braces 101 – Part 6: Wearing Retainers
        • Retainer Tips from a Tech
        • Tooth Whitening After Dental Braces
        • Braces Removal Stories
  • Invisible Aligners
        • The Basics of Invisible Aligners
        • Braces vs. Clear Aligners
        • My Experience with Invisalign
        • Mail-Order Invisible Aligners: Worth The Risk?
        • Clear Invisible Plastic Aligners May Cause An Allergic Reaction
        • How To Properly Clean Your Retainers or Aligner Trays
        • 16 Best Tips & Hacks for Invisible Aligners
  • FAQs
  • Resources
    • Glossary of Orthodontic Terms
    • Types and Classes of Bites
    • Food Tips For Braces
    • Metal Mouth Message Board
    • Glossary of Orthodontic Appliances
  • And More
        • Written By Dental Professionals
        • Just For Fun
        • Blog Posts
        • Reader Stories
          • First Day In Braces Stories
          • Braces Removal Stories
          • Embarrassing Stories
        • Lynn's Dental Braces Journal
        • ArchWired In The News
You are here: Home / Before Getting Braces / What Is The Best Age To Begin Orthodontic Treatment?

What Is The Best Age To Begin Orthodontic Treatment?

July 28, 2019 By Lynn Schneider; Editor, ArchWired.com

Phase1

By Dustin Burleson, DDS

Orthodontics is the specialty of dentistry devoted to building beautiful smiles by bringing teeth, lips, and jaws into proper alignment. Straight teeth function better, are easier to clean, and are more likely to last your lifetime. Properly aligned jaws may reduce the risk of jaw joint dysfunction (TMJ). Orthodontics is a wonderful investment with life-long returns.

The practice of orthodontics involves the use of appliances to move teeth and modify growth of the jaws. Treatment may be recommended by your orthodontist using the following appliances:

  • Traditional Braces (attach to the outside surfaces of the teeth)
  • Lingual Braces (attach behind the teeth)
  • Expanders (removable or fixed appliances to widen the jaws)
  • Habit appliances (fixed appliances to control thumb sucking or tongue thrusting)
  • Space maintainers (hold space when baby teeth are lost early)
  • Retainers (maintain alignment of the teeth and bite)
  • Headgear (helps the orthodontist control jaw growth and alignment)
  • Functional appliances (also help the orthodontist achieve jaw alignment)
  • Early treatment and growth modification (may help prevent future tooth and jaw alignment problems)

Orthodontic Exams Should Begin No Later Than Age Seven

The following early warning signs usually indicate that your child should have an orthodontic exam:

  • Early or late loss of teeth
  • Difficulty in chewing or biting
  • Mouth breathing, loud snoring at night and fatigue during the day
  • Finger sucking or other oral habits
  • Crowding, misplaced, or blocked-out teeth
  • Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or retrude
  • Speech difficulty
  • Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
  • Protruding teeth
  • Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all
  • Facial imbalance or asymmetry
  • Grinding or clenching of teeth

If your child is approaching the age of seven, it’s time to make an appointment for an initial exam with your orthodontist. The American Association of Orthodontists has recommended that the proper age for a child’s first visit to the orthodontist is no later than seven years of age. Often your orthodontist will identify a potential problem, but recommend monitoring the child’s growth and development. He or she can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while baby teeth are present and recommend starting treatment at the best possible time to minimize treatment duration and cost.

Remember, your orthodontist can improve most tooth and jaw alignment problems at any age, but there is usually a best age to start treatment, in terms of the amount of improvement that can be achieved and the treatment cost and duration. Because every patient presents with unique orthodontic problems and growth considerations, the “best age” to start treatment is different for every patient. Therefore, the best time for a consultation with your orthodontist is as soon as a possible problem is noticed. To find an orthodontist in your area, visit the website of the American Association of Orthodontists at: www.braces.org


Dr-Dustin-BurlesonDustin Burleson, DDS is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Dentistry. He holds additional teaching affiliations with The Children’s Mercy Hospital and Saint Luke’s Hospital Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Teams. He also maintains a private practice in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Burleson completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, with distinction. He went on to receive his D.D.S. with distinction from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry, graduating with the highest academic standing in his class. Dr. Burleson then completed his residency and certificate of advanced graduate study in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at the UMKC School of Dentistry. He is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.

In the community, Dr. Burleson is active in his church, serves on the North Kansas City Schools Community Advisory Board and participates in the Smiles Change Lives Program. Dr. Burleson and his wife, Amy, reside in Kansas City, Missouri with their son Samuel.

You can reach Dr. Burleson’s practice by calling (816) 741-5311 or visiting //www.burlesonorthodontics.com. His office is located at 4151 N. Mulberry Drive, Suite 210, Kansas City, MO 64116. The email for Dr. Burleson’s office is: info@burlesonortho.com

Related Terms:
  • Glossary: Functional Appliance
  • Glossary: Orthodontist
  • Glossary: Lingual Braces
  • Glossary: Consultation and Evaluation
  • Glossary: Craniofacial
  • Glossary: Orthodontic Appliances
  • Glossary: Deciduous Teeth
  • Glossary: Removable Retainer
  • Glossary: Headgear
  • Glossary: Crowding
  • Glossary: Orthodontic Braces
  • Glossary: Palate
  • Glossary: DDS
  • Glossary: Temporomandibular Joints
  • Glossary: Occlusion

Filed Under: Before Getting Braces, By Dental Professionals

Primary Sidebar

Before Getting Braces

  • What Type of Dental Braces
    Are Best?
  • Patients’ Experience with
    Wilckodontics Surgery
  • Preparing For Jaw Surgery
  • How Orthodontic Braces Work
  • Dental Braces 101 – Part 1: Before Getting Braces

By Dental Professionals

  • Braces vs. Clear Aligners:
    Which is Right for You?
  • All About Self-Ligating Brackets
  • Retainer Tips from a Tech
  • All About Orthodontic Elastics
  • Using the Damon Bracket System
    in Orthodontic Treatment

Categories

  • ArchWired In The News
  • Before Getting Braces
  • Blog Posts
  • Braces Polls Archive
  • By Dental Professionals
  • During Braces
  • Food Tips For Dental Braces
  • General
  • Getting Jaw Surgery
  • Invisible Aligners
  • Just For Fun
  • Just Got Braces
  • Lynn's Dental Braces Journal
  • Reader Stories
    • Dental Braces Removal Stories
    • Humorous Reader Stories
    • My First Day In Dental Braces
    • Other Reader Stories
  • Retainers After Braces
DentaKit Block Ad
Affordable Coverage for Braces from DentalPlans.com

Keep Your Teeth Clean!

Heal Painful Mouth Sores!

For Oral Hygiene On The Go!

Effortlessly Clean Aligners & Retainers!

Retainer Brite

Get News & Info from ArchWired!

Loading
  • Home
  • About Us
  • ArchWired on Facebook
  • Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Opt-out preferences

ArchWired.com: Providing free orthodontic information since 2001 - Copyright © 2025
· All rights reserved. Other products mentioned are copyright of their respective companies.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version