Signs that Your Child Needs to Have Dental Braces

Many children and adolescents need dental braces for many reasons. As parents, we should know if and when our kids need them. The sooner their teeth problems are addressed, the earlier your children can be rid of braces (and they will thank you for it many years down the road).

As a family dental clinic that offers dental services for children in Lakeville, Miller Comfort Dental can give you some pointers on this matter.

Below are the most common signs that a child or teenager needs dental braces.

The upper and lower teeth do not touch

Ask your child to smile wide and lift their lips while biting their teeth. This will reveal if their teeth don’t meet on the front or sides. If they don’t meet in front (open bite), your child might be having trouble biting into food. They might also have speech problems later on.

If their teeth don’t meet on either side, they could have a crossbite, which can cause teeth to wear out unevenly and can be a problem as they grow older.

Your child frequently bites his or her tongue and inner cheeks accidentally

This could suggest a misalignment of the upper and lower jaw. Another possibility is that the molars are spaced too far apart and would need dental braces to pull them into their proper positions.

The upper or lower jaw is noticeably protruding or recessed

Your child might have an overjet if their upper teeth protrude significantly farther over the lower teeth. Because this condition causes the upper jaw to be constantly subjected to pressure, your child could sustain dental and facial trauma.

If it’s the lower jaw that’s jutting out and they experience jaw pain, there’s a high chance that they have an underbite. This is a Class 3 malocclusion that can make eating and speaking challenging for a kid.

The teeth are obviously crooked, spaced out, or overcrowded

As your child grows older, the alignment of their teeth will be more defined. You should be able to see if their front teeth are too crowded or spaced too far apart (a gap tooth isn’t a problem, but a succession of widely-spaced teeth can cause oral lacerations due to sharp edges or the skin getting caught between teeth while chewing.

Your child feels self-conscious about their teeth

Adolescents are not so eager about letting their parents see their teeth, and most parents become less attentive about their children’s oral health the older they get. You can overcome this gap by observing their behaviors.

If they refuse to show their teeth when they smile or automatically cover their mouth when they laugh, one possible reason is they feel self-conscious due to visible gaps or misalignment in their teeth.

Parents need to be mindful of these signs because it’s always better to treat malocclusion early than late. Children may not like the idea of getting braces at first, but you must help them understand the benefits:

They can straighten their teeth faster and get rid of their braces earlier. There is no fixed duration for how long a child must wear braces because it depends on how crooked the teeth are and how fast they respond to treatment. The average period, however, is about two years.
They’ll be more confident about their smile.
They can eat better and easier.
They’re less likely to bite their tongue or wound their inner cheeks.

Take note of the signs above and get in touch with Miller Comfort Dental if your child does need orthodontic treatment. Our practice has experienced pediatric dentists who’ve been administering dental treatments to children in Lakeville for over 30 years.

Contact us today to book an a ppointment.