Treatment Age

East Coast Orthodontics Model Smiling

One of the most common queries facing an orthodontist is what age should I begin treatment?. It's a common misconception that orthodontic treatment is only recommended to children and adolescents. While there are benefits with getting treatment early, over 30% of our patients are adults. The following section will outline why you should consider orthodontic treatment no matter what age you are!

Treatment for Children

Smiling Child The ideal age for an orthodontic evaluation is 7 years old. While treatment may not begin at this age, it presents the perfect opportunity to diagnose any possible orthodontic issues, as the child's four permanent upper and lower front teeth have usually erupted. At this early age your child's bite is still forming, making it easier to take preventative measures and influence the correct formation of the teeth. Prevention is of course better than cure!

If early treatment is decided, children undergo a two phase treatment (also known as "Early Orthodontics" or "Mixed Dentition Treatment"). This two phase treatment takes place when there are still milk teeth in the mouth, at a stage when only a subset of the permanent teeth are fully grown. The concept of early orthodontics is to prevent severe malocclusions developing at a later age such as a cross-bite, or early crowding of upper and lower incisors.

Phase 1: Prevention, Interception and Modification

The first phase of this treatment usually begins between the ages of 7 and 9 and it's goal is to shape the mouth to accommodate the upcoming permanent teeth. Common problems such as overbite, cross bites and other jaw discrepancies can be eliminated in this phase. Many different appliances are used to direct and shape the teeth.

Maintenance Phase: Resting Period

After phase 1 treatment, the remaining permanent teeth are allowed to erupt. We let the teeth expand naturally and fall into the space that has been created by phase 1. The patient will be seen approximately two times per year, and a retainer may or may not be recommended.

Phase 2: Movement and Retention

The second phase of treatment takes place when a full set of 16 permanent teeth have erupted. While phase 1 will have created the space needed for growth, the teeth may still have alignment problems. This phase usually takes twelve to twenty four months starting at ages 12 to 13 years old.

Young Child SmilingBeginning treatment early and availing of a two-phase treatment is beneficial for a number of reasons. Primarily, the treatment time is greatly reduced. Two-phase treatment also maximises the opportunity to accomplish an ideal aesthetic result that will remain stable throughout a patient's life. Most importantly,acting early instead of delaying treatment will greatly reduce the need for extractions or other dental surgeries, and will also make the jaws stronger and more stable.


Have a look through some of the links concerning children's two phase treatment in our links section here.

Treatment for Adults

Adult Patient Smiling It's getting more and more common for adults to get orthodontic treatment, and why not! With today's technology, there are many aesthetically pleasing and comfortable solutions to orthodontal issues.

An adult considering orthodontic treatment will have a fully developed jaw, ruling out the two-phase treatment discussed above. This means that it is more difficult to manipulate your teeth and make space. The treatment may take a little longer overall, as your teeth will move slower then a child's considering that they are fully developed. Usually treatment will be administered in a single phase, and take between twenty and thirty months.

Adults are sometimes worried about the prospect of having extractions as part of their orthodontic treatment. However it is possible to avoid this by a technique called interproximal reduction. By reshaping the widths of crowded teeth, it is possible to create enough space to allow alignment of upper and lower incisors without the need for extractions. This technique has been used in orthodontics since the 1940's. It is well proven and does not cause long term damage to the enamel. Find out more information about Interproximal Reduction.

While your treatment may be different to that of a child, so are your options. Many discrete solutions have been developed with adult's needs and requirements in mind. These include invisible braces or in some cases aligner treatment which are a series of plastic trays that are worn for 22 hours a day and move teeth gently into their correct position. These aligners can be removed for eating and are not glued permanently to the teeth.

If you have any questions about adult treatment, do not hesitate to contact us and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible. Also read some of the links concerning adult treatment in our links section.