Does Your Child Need Braces? 3 Ways To Find Out

Determining that your child needs braces or can do without them can be difficult. Children commonly develop teeth at varying rates and primary teeth don’t always help in locating the adult teeth.

A report shows that around 3 million in Canada and U.S. wear braces. While there’s no exact period for when the child may require braces, there are some ways that indicate the time is near.

Identifying the need for braces

1.  Bad/incorrect bites
Ask your child if he/she has any difficulty in chewing. You can also check for cavities as they are also a sign of bad bites. Some types of bad bites include deep overbite, underbite and open bite.

You can start by comparing the position of upper front teeth to the lower teeth. If the front teeth overlap the lower, it is a sign of a deep overbite. Another indication is that the upper teeth’s biting edges will be touching the gum tissue of lower front.

On the other hand, if the jaws are not in the appropriate position and the lower teeth are overlapping the upper, it is an underbite. Open bite is when the lower and upper front teeth aren’t meeting when the child is biting, and it can also cause problem in the child’s speech. According to Dr. Ron Markey, an orthodontist from Vancouver, delaying braces can lead to risks if the teeth are left unattended, even though the risks may take several years to become prominent.

2.  Spacing/crowding problems

The child may have small teeth in a normal jaw or missing teeth. This can lead to uneven spaces because some teeth lead into vacant areas. Uneven spaces shouldn’t be taken lightly as they have a chance of becoming a periodontal disease later on as the gums stay unprotected. Other problems they can lead to is incorrect functioning and an unattractive smile.

People also confuse spacing and crowding as the same problem, but they are entirely different. Crowing occurs when there is no space left for the teeth to go out of the gum. Other causes of crowding are incorrect eruption from the gum or the teeth are larger than the allotted space. Crowding can lead to an improper pattern of the bite, dental decay and an unattractive smile.

Braces can effectively correct crowding and spacing problems. However, Dr. David Morrow orthodontist at York Mills reveals that the first few weeks with braces require some adjustments, and sometimes additional appointments may be needed. This is the reason why appointments should be made at a time when the child has enough free time (from school and other commitments) to adjust.

3.  Cleft lip or cleft palate

Cleft palate stands for a split in the mouth’s roof, while the clef lip means an upper lift split. This problem is very rare and occurs in 1 or 2 children out of 1,000 born. This condition can be inherited by the child if any member of the family has it.

This condition can result in dental problems such as extra teeth, crooked teeth and small teeth. Children with cleft lip or palate require braces because it helps the teeth to grow in a straight position.

If left unattended, it can result in speech and eating problems.

Parents who can identify the need for braces shouldn’t make any delays to make sure that child doesn’t suffer from any complications in the long run.

The above entry is a guest blog entry.