Early orthodontic treatment

Ensure a healthy, happy smile for your child by bringing them in for an early orthodontic assessment. Early treatment allows us to guide the growth of your child’s jaw, and correct orthodontic issues - sometimes before they even begin.

When should I take my child to see an orthodontist?

The recommended age for your child’s first visit to an orthodontist is seven. At this age, our Specialist Orthodontists can detect potential issues in your child’s development and intercept or treat them before they worsen.

We recommend the age of seven because most children have a mix of baby and adult teeth and we can start to see if crowding, spacing, protruding teeth, extra teeth, missing teeth, or jaw issues could become a problem as they continue to grow.

Our Specialist Orthodontists are trained to identify subtle jaw growth and dental development issues which are easier to correct if found and treated early. Waiting until all baby teeth have fallen out or all facial growth is completed may make orthodontic correction more difficult.

Treatment may not be necessary at this young age, but we can monitor the growth of your child’s smile through regular appointments and start treatment at the opportune time.

Early Orthodontic Treatment

How can my child benefit from orthodontic treatment?

Orthodontic treatment can help improve your child’s oral hygiene by reducing overlapping areas where plaque can hide. It also helps their teeth to wear more evenly, and can protect them from trauma to protruding front teeth - or from developing jaw issues.

Treatment can even help with speech, chewing, and breathing habits, and correct poor oral habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting. So you can see, orthodontics is more than just improving your child’s facial aesthetic!

Early Orthodontic Treatment

What are some signs my child needs orthodontic treatment?

Not all signs of orthodontic issues are visible or noticeable. While your child’s teeth may appear aligned and straight, there could be underlying issues that need to be addressed to prevent more serious problems developing.

Only an expert like a Specialist Orthodontist will be able to diagnose, and plan a custom treatment for, orthodontic problems. That being said, there are some tell-tale signs you can look out for at home. These include:

Early or late loss of baby teeth
Difficulty chewing or biting
Mouth breathing
Thumb sucking past the age of five
Tongue thrusting

Early Orthodontic Treatment

Invisalign® First for growing smiles

Now there is an Invisalign® treatment created just for children ages 6-10! Invisalign® First doesn’t use any uncomfortable metal to guide your child’s smile into alignment. Instead, it uses removable clear aligners, so your child won’t have to adjust their brushing or eating habits.

Early Orthodontic Treatment

Set your child’s smile up for success

Book an early orthodontic consultation for your child at our Canberra practice. Our talented Specialist Orthodontists and friendly team see if your child could benefit from orthodontic treatment, and help them have fun all throughout the process.

Book an in-person consultation

Book a free video consultation

Early Orthodontic Treatment

Book your consultation

You have the option of choosing an initial orthodontic consultation (payable), a free video consultation or free Invisalign® assessment. There’s no obligation to go ahead with treatment, whatever option you choose. Please fill out the below form and choose your preferred consultation type.