We strongly believe in early treatment for those who desire it and that children should be first seen at an early age (6 to 7 years). One of the most difficult orthodontic treatment decisions is that of when to begin treatment. Early treatment, before the appearance of all the permanent teeth, can be extremely gratifying, both to the parents and the child in many situations.

Most early treatments are limited in scope and are completed in around twelve months with the expectation that there will be another phase of treatment when all the permanent teeth are in place. This amount of time is adequate to correct a significant amount of overbite or crowding. Early treatments may include partial braces, headgear or removable appliances such as functional appliances or retainers.

Many children can receive considerable benefit with extraction of selected baby teeth without having orthodontic appliances. Parents and children who are less concerned about the immediate cosmetic improvement may prefer this option if they know the child can have their treatment completed in one later phase without compromising the final result.

Advantages of Early Treatment

Early treatment may correct functional shifts, perhaps preventing unequal growth of the jaws, as well as avoiding the undesirable psychological effects of being teased by peers. In some cases early treatment may prevent the necessity of extraction of permanent teeth or in limited situations, prevent the necessity for further treatment. Since early treatments are generally started soon after eruption of the permanent incisors, children who have unaesthetic smiles may be able to have nice smiles 3 to 4 years sooner than if they wait until all of the permanent teeth erupt.

Disadvantages of Early Treatment

The majority of patients who have early treatment with fixed or removable appliances will spend more time in treatment than those treated in one phase. Since this also means that the total cost of the treatment will be more, a decision must be made about whether the increased time in treatment is justified. This usually depends on the severity of the problem and the motivation of the parents and child.

Adolescent Treatment

Late mixed dentition or early permanent dentition is the optimum time for treatment in respect to the amount of time and effort expended. This is also when the patient has the most growth potential to be used in correcting jaw growth problems with orthopedic appliances. Prior extraction of baby canines (eye teeth) at age six or seven has often enabled alignment of the erupting incisors and allowed treatment to be delayed until adolescence. If a non-extraction treatment is desired, expansion of the arches may be completed before the permanent canines appear preventing their eruption outside of the arch. Lack of early treatment or failure to extract baby canines does not prevent a patient from later having a non-extraction treatment.

"POG" Club Pre-Orthodontic Guidance

We know that our young patients are often eager to have their braces on and find it disappointing to have to wait for the appearance of most of their permanent teeth. The POG Club is designed to make that wait a little more fun and perhaps even educational! If Dr. Stout and Dr. Booth recommend a period of pre-orthodontic guidance they will set a recall schedule for the patient. Recalls are typically scheduled at 3 to 9 month intervals and you will receive a post card from our office reminding you to call for an appointment.

The patient will also receive a membership card which we ask they have initialed each time they visit their general dentist so they can receive “Bucks” for the visit. Any payments for office visit charges during the pre-orthodontic guidance period are applied to your account once active treatment has begun.