Children's orthodontics

The early development of a child’s teeth is important in determining how their teeth will continue to develop into adulthood. Warning Signs can start to show around the ages of 7-8 as they will have already started to have their permanent teeth come through (starting around age 6!). We recommend regular visits to the dentist at this age so we can ensure their teeth are coming in nicely and spot any potential future problems they may have.

Our friendly orthodontists have had many years of experience treating children and will be able to spot any warning signs with their teeth, reducing the chance of a serious condition developing as they grow up.

When should your child see an Orthodontist?

Some of the early warning signs to look our for include:

Crooked/Crowded/Wonky teeth
Protruding teeth
Early (before 4) or late (7-8) loss of their baby teeth
Chewing/Biting difficulty
Teeth grinding (bruxism)
Thumb/finger sucking – Severe cases of this can cause the front teeth to eventually stick out
Enamel wear (teeth look worn, signs of discoloration to yellow)

Any of the signs above could give us an early indication that braces may be required during a later stage of their childhood – between 9-14)

We always recommend that it is best for a child to undergo an orthodontic treatment when they are still growing, as problems that are left till adulthood will require more extensive work and can take considerably longer to complete.

How long should a child wear braces?

Each child will be different and it will depend on how severe their teeth are. Cases will vary and could be complete between 12-36 months – but with minor cases, this could even be completed in a matter of months.

During the free consultation your dentist will be able to give you a more accurate time for completion once they have been able to examine your child’s case.

How long should a child wear a retainer?

We always recommend that despite what age you had braces at, retainers should ideally be worn indefinitely. Once you have had your teeth straightened, it is is possible to suffer an orthodontic relapse, which will mean the invested time & money could be undone as the teeth could end up being crooked again.

This is of course easier said than done, especially when trying to explain to a child why a retainer is so important to wear. Our recommended retainer option would be the bonded one. This is because the retainer will be worn at all times and there is no chance of forgetting to put the retainer back in or potentially losing it (which happens with the removable ones). The other major benefit to the bonded retainers is the fact that they are bonded to the backs of your teeth.