"Many

orthodontic problems are easier to correct if detected early rather than

treating when jaw growth has slowed," according to the AAO's Web

site. "Unfortunately, many parents assume they must wait until a

child has all of his or her permanent teeth, only to find out that treatment

would have been much easier if started earlier."

Very often,

a child's parents will be able to notice the more common conditions requiring

orthodontic intervention. An early evaluation allows the orthodontist

to see and treat developing problems, and when there are no problems,

it can reassure parents that no treatment is needed, and when another

evaluation may be scheduled.

Look for these

signs that orthodontic treatment may be needed:

Buck tooth

appearance.

Excessive

crowding or spacing.

Underbite

or crossbite.

Persistent

thumb sucking.

Difficulty

chewing.

Open mouth

breathing.

Delayed eruption

of a permanent tooth.

Obvious abnormal

bite development of any kind.

Poor self-esteem

or self-conscious due to appearance of the teeth.

Palatal expansion

One of the

reasons orthodontists are recommending an evaluation at age 7 is that

if necessary, the expansion of the upper jaw (palate or maxilla) is easily

done at about that age. Many times, appropriate palatal expansion can

make enough room in a crowded mouth so that future extraction of permanent

teeth will not be required.

Some signs

that widening using a rapid maxillary expander may be recommended are:

Very crowded

teeth, especially overlap or rotation of the front teeth.

Narrow appearance

to the jaws with the teeth not fully "filling in" the smile.

Crossbite

of the back teeth (upper teeth have a narrower arch width than the lowers).

Delayed eruption

of the incisors (more than 6 months since the baby teeth were lost) after

age 7.

Previous or

active thumb sucking habit.

When the upper

teeth are too narrow, the lower teeth usually are crowded as well because

they are attempting to adapt to the narrow arrangement of the upper chewing

surfaces. When the upper is widened, the lower also often can be successfully

widened, allowing for alignment of these teeth.

Traditional teen orthodontics

Most adolescents

today are very agreeable when they are going to get braces. Unlike the

fully banded metal mouth appearance common in the 1960s, braces today

are smaller, more comfortable, and some components come in a variety of

colors.

"It's

a fashion statement, or an expression of individuality," says Dr.

Michael Mahaffey of Peachtree City.

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