braces portage

Does My Child Need Braces?

June 23, 2021

Properly aligned teeth can help your child with proper speech development and chewing. It’s also much easier to clean and maintain your oral health when your jaw and teeth are aligned. Braces from your orthodontist in Portage, MI, Dr. Thomas Kwong of Kwong Orthodontics could help your child’s teeth and jaw misalignment.

When Your Child Needs Braces

Dental misalignment problems could be genetic or develop due to accidents or dental diseases. Either way, fixing them with your orthodontist in Portage, MI, is essential.

Consider taking your child to the orthodontist as early as seven which is recommended by the American Association of Orthodontics (AAO). If you notice significant problems with your child’s dentition, you could schedule your visit to your orthodontist as early as five or six years old.

Dental problems that could warrant a visit to your child’s orthodontist include:

  • Teeth grinding. If you hear your child grinding their teeth at night, it could be a sign of teeth misalignment. If you fail to seek help, it could damage your child’s teeth and cause further jaw issues.
  • Problem chewing. Even subtle jaw misalignment can cause chewing or biting difficulties for your child.
  • Crowded teeth. If your child’s teeth seem too many to fit into their mouth, you might need to see your orthodontist. Crowded teeth that overlap could make cleaning and speech complicated.
  • Irregular loss of baby teeth. Losing baby teeth too early or too late could throw off your child’s teeth alignment.
  • Thumb sucking. Oral habits such as thumb sucking could push your child’s front teeth forward and cause crowding in the bottom teeth.
  • Misalignment. Jaw misalignment problems such as overbite, underbite, and crossbite might benefit from orthodontic treatment.
  • Mouth breathing. If your child is breathing through their mouth, it could affect the growth of their face and teeth.

If you’re seeing signs that your child might need braces, call (269) 327-4459 to schedule your consultation with your orthodontist in Portage, MI, Dr. Kwong of Kwong Orthodontics, today.