Going to the dentist used to be for getting a bad tooth pulled out or a cavity filled in. No wonder children dreaded visits to the dentist. Dentistry has evolved to include a number of branches including orthodontics. Phoenix orthodontists are encouraging children to get checked as early as possible and with good reason.
Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that is concerned with correcting anomalies to do with dental structures. It is concerned with using appliances like braces in Phoenix AZ and clear aligners like Invisalign in Phoenix to straighten out teeth that are not straight and correcting a poor bite.
If such problems are detected early, they can be resolved before they go on to cause major dental problems. Children can be referred to an orthodontist by their dentist for more specific remedy or one can take the child to see one upon detecting certain problems with their dental alignment.
In addition to giving your child self esteem with a smile that they can happily show, there are health benefits to seeing an orthodontist. One is that proper teeth and jaw alignment is checked which wards off problems like tooth decay and gum disease. Straight teeth do not accumulate as much plaque and are much easier to clean. Also, protruding upper teeth are less prone to injury for instance as a child participates in sports.
In addition, uneven teeth can wear out gum tissue and the bones that support teeth causing headaches, neck pain and in severe cases, joint dysfunction. Such teeth also cause a lot of wearing on the tooth surface so that food does not get chewed properly and a child can suffer digestive problems as a result.
It is best for a child with such dental problems to be seen by Phoenix orthodontists while their bones and teeth are still growing. It is much easier to prevent dental problems that deal with them when they have already set in. Health problems will also be averted and a child grows up with the confidence that comes from having teeth they are not embarrassed about.
“I always wanted my teeth straight. I had these teeth on the bottom right that were crooked and just looked very unpresentable. So I needed braces to make my smile straight.
My mom never had braces, but she was adamant that her kids would have straight teeth.
Everyone at Dunn Orthodontics was always super friendly, super courteous and super helpful. I liked how they made sure that you knew what was going on at every appointment.
I really like how straight and shiny my teeth are now. I smile all the time.” – Erica