Tell-tale signs that your kid needs braces

Keep in mind that, aside from regular visits to the dentist at a young age, kids must have their first visit to an orthodontist on or before they turn 7 years old. While your child’s dentist should be able to tell you when it’s time to bring your child to the said specialist, there are signs you can look for that tell the time is right for the visit, says Dr. Kami Hoss of the Super Dentists.

Among these indicators to watch for are mouth breathing, difficulty in chewing or biting, blocked-out or crowded teeth, irregular loss of baby teeth (whether late or early), protruding or recessed jaws (which makes the jaw disproportional to the rest of the face), and habits like biting the roof or cheek of the mouth and thumb-sucking.

You don’t have to wait till your kid turns 7 to bring your kid to an orthodontist for fitting of braces if several of the symptoms mentioned above start to manifest. While the age for fitting varies depending on the patient, the usual orthodontic treatment is done between ages 9 and 14, since children at these ages will likely already have their permanent teeth grown.

Some orthodontic problems, adds Dr. Kami Hoss, may be inherited: from having too much space between teeth, crowding and protruding upper teeth to jaw growth problems and missing or extra teeth. This can be complicated by the bad habits mentioned above, as well as poor nutrition and poor oral care.

Kami Hoss, MS, DDS, is a sought-after author, consultant, inventor, and speaker in the fields of dentistry and business. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Super Dentists. More on Dr. Hoss and his work here.