When to orthodontist?

The essentials in brief:

More important than the age is the individual tooth development ?? and of course the tooth position.
Early treatments are possible in exceptional cases in the deciduous dentition, very rarely even in infants, such as in the case of a cleft lip and palate.
Children must cooperate with a braces treatment. This should also be considered when choosing the start of treatment.
So far, however, there is no reliable scientific evidence that braces lead to improved dental health.

When does a treatment usually start??

If a braces is needed, it is usually started at the age of 10 years. Decisive as the age of the child but is the individual tooth development and the tooth position. For premature teeth therapy may be started earlier than in children with delayed dentition (opening of the teeth from the jaw into the oral cavity). Dentists are bound by the orthodontic treatment directive. It states: Orthodontic treatments should not be started before the beginning of the second phase of the change of teeth (late mixed dentition). This means: Not before the 10th to 13th year of life. In this phase, the deciduous and deciduous molars (posterior teeth) are replaced by their successors.

What is an early treatment?

An orthodontic treatment in the deciduous dentition or in the first phase of the tooth change, when the first permanent teeth break through, should be the exception. As a rule, it is indicated only in the case of pronounced tooth anomalies that can aggravate, which may result in growth inhibition, or whose successful treatment seems to be difficult or impossible at a later date. However, an impression must be possible without major difficulties, that is, the child must be able to work with the dentist. According to the directive, an early treatment "not begun before the age of 4 and completed within six calendar quarters". In rare cases, even infants are treated orthodontically, for example, if there is a cleft lip and palate, a congenital malformation. Then the upper jaw can be reshaped with a plate.

What should be considered in adults?

Tooth regulation is today feasible without age restrictions. In adults, however, it should be noted that the jaw growth is completed and the tissue reaction is restricted due to age. This can lead to a longer treatment than children. In addition, in adults often no longer all teeth are present or existing teeth damaged. Also, inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) or the periodontium (periodontitis) are common in older age and should be treated beforehand.

The benefits of orthodontic treatment

Orthodontists often point out that dental and jaw malpositions endanger the oral health and the functioning of the dentition. So far, however, there is no reliable scientific evidence that braces lead to improved dental health, because it is not proven that malocclusions increase the subsequent risk of tooth decay, periodontitis or jaw pain. Furthermore, it can not be answered whether the correction of malocclusions is an effective condition for the preservation of the teeth.