10801 PACIFIC ST OMAHA, NE 68154
Your child’s oral health is important, and monitoring their growing smile is vital for their healthy development and budding self-confidence. As with most things health-related, preventative care helps ensure better health with the least amount of time and cost. Our team concurs with the American Association of Orthodontists® recommendations that a child’s initial orthodontic evaluation be made by an orthodontist as soon as an orthodontic issue presents itself or at the very least, no later than age 7. Catching issues in their earliest stages and then keeping an eye on them helps determine the best orthodontic treatment for their future.
Signs That Your Child May Need Orthodontic Intervention
-Abnormal bite development
-Chronic thumb sucking
-Clicking or popping sounds when moving the jaw
-Constantly biting into the cheeks or the roof of the mouth
-Difficulty speaking
-Overcrowding or overlapping of permanent teeth
-Problems chewing
-Teeth grinding
Should your child need early orthodontic intervention, getting treated at this stage means their jaw development will be easier to correct. At age 7, your child’s first permanent molars will come through, impacting their bite in the back of the mouth. This means our orthodontists, Dr. Kort Igel & Dr. Daniel Chartrand can check their front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships as they are developing.
Orthodontic treatment doesn’t just mean straightening teeth but fixing bad bites and malocclusions as well. This impacts your child’s facial appearance, how they bite and chew food and even how effectively they are able to brush and floss for healthier teeth and gums. Poorly aligned teeth are harder to keep clean.
If your child has protruding teeth they are vulnerable to chipping, while crossbites can cause tongue-thrusting habits and problems with their speech. Teeth and jaws that are misaligned can also interfere with the airways and impede proper breathing. Detected early, the airways can be enlarged using orthodontics to prevent issues later.
What We Will Look For
-Do their front teeth stick out?
-Do their top teeth cover their lower teeth when the mouth is closed?
-Do their upper teeth rest inside the arch of their bottom teeth?
-Are their teeth showing too much (or too little) space?
-Are the spaces between the lower two front teeth and the upper two front teeth not lining up?
-Are the lower teeth not fitting inside the upper teeth when the mouth is closed?
-Are there missing teeth because baby teeth never came in, or permanent teeth that aren’t coming through?
-Are there extra teeth or teeth that are malformed?
Timely orthodontic treatment helps prevent and correct developing problems so your child’s jaw and smile will look and function the way it needs to.
Complimentary Consultation
At your child’s first orthodontic visit, Dr. Igel, Dr. Chartrand and our team will conduct a thorough oral examination including taking a 3D image of your child’s jaws and head along with digital images of their face and teeth. Please call or text (402) 330-1152 to set up your child’s no-cost orthodontic consultation.
If you prefer, you can fill out our On-Line Patient Information Form and we will contact you! You can fill out your child’s Patient Information/Health History Form to save you time when you bring your child in for their evaluation. We look forward to helping your child with their orthodontic needs!