Pre-teen Orthodontics

Pre-teen orthodontics encompasses treatment that starts before the puberty growth spurt and aims to achieve any of the following: move teeth, alter the jaw size and/or position, and influence the soft tissues (lips, tongue) that influence dento-facial skeletal growth. It is aimed at positively influencing the growth of the teeth, jaw and soft tissues to allow for healthy normal function.

Treatment commences before the puberty growth spurt when certain dental, skeletal, and soft tissue position and size is then more difficult to modify. A common example is creating enough jaw space to allow for adult teeth to grow into.

Common conditions that pre-teen orthodontics aims to treat are severe teeth crowding, underbites, severe overbites, crossbites, open bites, incompetent lips (lips that do not touch when resting), thumb sucking (and its subsequent effects on the teeth and jaws), and airway obstructions due to tongue position.

All of these conditions are much more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to completely treat during puberty and beyond when certain bony structures and soft tissues have already matured.

There are various treatment types and will depend on which conditions are being treated. One example is a removable plate. This plastic and metal orthodontic device can treat a number of conditions such as narrow palates, deep overbites, and singular displaced incisors.

Removable myofunctional appliances, such as a bionator, can be used to influence the upper and lower lip to close, and help to increase jaw size reducing the risk of requiring adult teeth to be extracted during teenage years.

Fixed braces and expanders are often used as they are sometimes more predictable and kids can't take them off.

There can be many signs and symptoms that are noticeable at home which may indicate the need for pre-teen orthodontics. One example is if adult front teeth are already overlapping by age 8 or 9, this can be an indication of crowding. Another example is if a child's lips remain open at rest, this may indicate an issue with the upper and lower jaw relationship and is very difficult to treat without surgery once in teenage years.

A comprehensive examination with the relevant x-rays (not just the little ones that go in the mouth) and with a trained orthodontic clinician is the best way to determine the need for pre-teen orthodontics. A child's overall dental and medical health, their compliance, and family factors must all be considered and discussed prior to any treatment.