Importance of Orthodontic Treatment in Children Design
Orthodontic problems usually show their first symptoms in childhood. These symptoms are often not noticed by the parents, and some treatment opportunities are missed when the problem becomes more obvious. The best examples of these are problems in the skeletal structure, that is, at the level of the jawbone. In the period when the positional problems in the lower and upper jawbones first begin to occur, the exacerbation of the problem can be prevented with some minor interventions.
Because growth and development are very fast in this period, the growth rate is important in terms of correcting the problem easily.
The first orthodontic examination should be done at the age of 6 years. If there is a problem in the skeletal structure, it shows its first signs at this age. It can be easily detected during orthodontic examination and a solution can be provided with very simple applications.
In addition to the problems of the lower and upper jaw, harmful habits that concern soft tissues such as tongue and lips and that can disrupt the skeletal structure can also be detected at these ages. Lip sucking, tongue thrusting, mouth breathing, thumb sucking are the most common harmful habits and negatively affect the growth and development of the skeletal structure.
For example, a child with thumb sucking habit may have problems such as a deep palate, protruding and gaping front teeth, and lower jaw retardation during the growth period. The fact that the upper anterior teeth are protruding and spaced makes the teeth more fragile and vulnerable in case of trauma.
Again at this age, caries in milk teeth or loss of milk teeth can create new orthodontic problems. Because the forward movements of the primary teeth in the jaw result in the inability to find a place for the teeth coming from above, crowding often results in impacted teeth in more severe cases.
What needs to be done here is to keep the deciduous teeth healthy in the mouth until the permanent teeth erupt, and to protect their place with placeholders in the absence of deciduous teeth. Otherwise, as the severity of the orthodontic problem will increase, the orthodontic treatment will become even more difficult.
In fact, orthodontic interventions in childhood are to normalize the current situation. In other words, it is to keep the growth and development of the skeletal structure within the normal growth-development limits, to create an environment where permanent teeth can erupt comfortably and to ensure that they can last properly. The importance of the first orthodontic examination is essential for these reasons.