A pediatric orthodontist is a specialized dental professional who focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental and facial irregularities in children and adolescents. They correct malocclusions, misaligned teeth, and jaw discrepancies to guide proper facial growth. Their work ensures a child’s teeth and jaws develop correctly. By managing developing issues early, they aim to reduce the complexity and duration of potential future treatments.
Specialized Training and Approach
The path to becoming a pediatric orthodontist requires extensive training beyond the general dental degree. After four years of dental school, they complete an additional two to three years of specialized residency in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. This advanced education provides a deep understanding of how teeth alignment develops and how to manage complex cases involving the growing face and jaws.
Pediatric orthodontists are experts in growth modification, utilizing the child’s natural development to correct jaw size and position problems. They also receive specialized training in pediatric care to effectively manage a child’s behavior and anxiety during appointments, which is important for securing cooperation throughout the treatment process.
Optimal Timing for Initial Visits
The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that children have their first orthodontic evaluation no later than age seven. By this age, the child typically has a mix of baby and permanent teeth, and the first permanent molars have erupted. This stage provides enough information to assess the relationship between the upper and lower jaws and the developing alignment of the permanent teeth.
This early check-up is primarily for assessment and monitoring, not immediate comprehensive treatment. It allows the specialist to identify potential problems like severe crowding, crossbites, or harmful oral habits that benefit from early intervention. This interceptive, or Phase I, treatment aims to guide the growth of the jaw and the proper placement of permanent teeth. If no intervention is needed, the child is placed on a recall schedule so the orthodontist can monitor their growth and development periodically.
Common Treatments and Corrections
Pediatric orthodontists treat a wide array of conditions, collectively known as malocclusions, which involve the improper alignment of the teeth and jaws. These include overbites, underbites, deep bites, and open bites, as well as spacing issues and severe dental crowding. They also manage problems related to oral habits like thumb sucking or tongue thrusting, which can negatively affect the development of the bite.
To correct these issues, they use a variety of specialized appliances tailored to the child’s specific developmental stage. One common device is the palatal expander, which is fixed to the upper back teeth to gently widen a constricted upper jaw. This procedure is particularly effective in growing children because the upper jaw is joined by a suture that can be painlessly separated and encouraged to grow.
Space maintainers, such as a Band & Loop or a Lower Lingual Arch, are used when a baby tooth is lost prematurely to prevent adjacent teeth from shifting and blocking the space needed for the permanent tooth to erupt. For issues related to jaw growth discrepancies, appliances like the Herbst or Forsus devices may be used to encourage the lower jaw to grow forward and correct a severe overbite. These are typically fixed devices worn for a period of months to utilize the child’s active growth phase.
While many patients are treated with traditional metal braces, pediatric orthodontists also use clear aligners, removable retainers, and specialized headgear to achieve optimal alignment and bite correction. The goal of all these treatments is to create a healthy, functional bite that contributes to the child’s overall oral health and aesthetics.