As a parent, you want the best for your child, including a healthy, confident smile that lasts a lifetime. The most common question while seeking dental care is whether your child will need orthodontic treatment. Some dental problems are easily visible, while others are not. Understanding the early signs of deteriorating dental health can help you make informed choices and see a reliable dental professional at the right time.

Needing braces is common for many children. This does not indicate your failure as a parent but is a proactive measure towards your child’s long-term health and well-being. This guide will help you spot potential dental problems early and understand the next steps you should undertake to support a healthy, functional, beautiful smile.

Common Bite Problems Parents Should Watch For

Among the most apparent symptoms of an emerging malocclusion, or misaligned teeth and jaws, are those you can see simply by observing your child's smile. You can see hints by taking time to watch as their permanent teeth erupt.

Crooked, Crowded, or Overlapping Teeth

Crooked or crowded teeth are one of the most well-known signs. When permanent teeth erupt, they look twisted, overlapping, or otherwise jumbled. It is a typical indication that the jaw has little room to house them in a neat arch. When there is insufficient space, teeth may come in at an angle, too far forward, or too far back. This can affect the look of the smile and make teeth harder to clean.

Spaces or Too Much Spacing (Diastema)

At the other extreme are the observable spaces or too much space between the teeth, which dentists call diastema. Although a small gap between baby teeth is normal and even desirable to allow the larger permanent teeth to grow, gaps between permanent teeth can be persistent and significant. This may indicate a discrepancy between the size of the teeth and the amount of space in the jaw. It may also be due to congenitally absent teeth, in which case an adult tooth never forms, or due to some oral habits.

Overbite vs. Overjet

It is also essential to note the bite of your child, the way the upper and lower teeth come together when they bite their teeth together. It is vital to differentiate between two distinct problems: overbite and overjet.

An overbite is a vertical problem in which the top front teeth overlap the bottom front teeth too much. In extreme cases, the lower teeth can even bite the gum tissue on the roof of the mouth and cause pain and considerable damage.

An overjet is a horizontal problem in which the front upper teeth stick out way beyond the lower teeth. This is commonly referred to as buck teeth. A large overjet increases the risk of dental injuries, as the protruding teeth are more likely to be chipped, fractured, or knocked out during a fall or sports accident.

Underbite

On the other hand, you can observe an underbite, whereby the lower front teeth extend beyond the upper front teeth. This is usually connected to a skeletal problem that causes the lower jaw to grow excessively forward, the upper jaw to be underdeveloped, or both. An underbite can affect facial looks, make chewing difficult, and cause uneven wear on teeth. Underbite treatment at an early age is essential to prevent more complicated correctional surgery in the future.

Crossbite

A crossbite is a condition in which the lower and upper jaws are not aligned correctly, and some upper teeth are improperly positioned inside the lower teeth when your child bites down. It may occur on one or several teeth in the front (anterior crossbite) or the back (posterior crossbite). A healthy bite has the upper teeth resting slightly out of the lower teeth, like a lid on a box.

A crossbite interferes with this and may cause the jaw to be pushed to one side, resulting in asymmetrical jaw development, TMJ issues, and overwear of teeth.

Open Bite

An open bite occurs when the lower and upper front teeth do not overlap or touch when the back teeth are fully closed. This leaves a noticeable gap and can make biting into foods like sandwiches, pizza, or apples hard. Open bites are often associated with oral habits.

How Habits Can Affect Your Child’s Jaw and Teeth Alignment

Some signs that your child will undergo future orthodontic procedures relate to their development and habits. Such red flags can proactively influence the jaws' development and the teeth's positioning.

Abnormal Milk Tooth Loss

When your child starts losing milk teeth, it is an essential sign of dental development. Most children begin losing milk teeth at six and complete the process at age twelve. If your child loses their milk teeth much earlier (because of decay or trauma) or much later than this, it may be an indication of a problem with the way their permanent teeth are forming and coming in.

The loss of milk teeth at an early age may cause the adjacent teeth to move into the vacant space and obstruct the way of the incoming permanent tooth, making some of the teeth impacted (stuck in the jaw). Delayed loss of milk teeth may cause the permanent tooth to grow out in the wrong place, merely because its proper place is already taken.

Long-Term Thumb-Sucking or Pacifier Habit

Although thumb-sucking and the use of pacifiers are standard self-calming mechanisms in infants and toddlers, continued use beyond age three or four years may result in serious orthodontic issues. The pressure of a thumb, finger, or pacifier may cause the front teeth to be pushed forward, resulting in a large overjet.

Meanwhile, this habit can cause an open bite by preventing the front teeth from erupting correctly. It may also lead to narrowing of the upper jaw, because the tongue cannot rest in the correct position on the palate.

Tongue Thrust

Tongue thrust is an abnormal swallowing whereby the tongue thrusts forward toward the front teeth rather than up against the roof of the mouth. Each time a child swallows thousands of times a day, this forward pressure acts as a mild orthodontic appliance, pushing the teeth out of line and creating a severe open bite. This habit usually continues even when your child has stopped thumb-sucking.

Chronic Mouth Breathing

Chronic mouth breathing is one of the most critical—and often unnoticed—signs to watch. When your child habitually breathes through their mouth rather than their nose, whether because of allergies, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, or habit, they alter the resting position of their tongue and jaw.

The tongue usually lies flat against the roof of the mouth, and this is a natural, internal scaffold that aids the upper jaw to grow into a broad, healthy, U-shaped arch. In a mouth breather, the tongue falls on the floor of the mouth to enable the air to pass.

This loss of internal support, coupled with a continuous inward pull of the cheek muscles, may form a high, narrow V-shaped upper jaw, which results in severe crowding and bite difficulties. In the long term, this may even influence your child’s facial development, sometimes called long face syndrome.

What Your Child Experiences

Orthodontic problems are not always obvious. The most valuable hints are sometimes the things you hear your child say and the things you see them do. These functional problems are a clear sign that there is no harmony between the teeth and jaws.

Trouble Chewing or Biting

If you realize your child is not chewing or biting properly, this may be a direct consequence of misaligned teeth. They may also mean that eating some foods is painful, or you may find that they deliberately avoid harder, healthier foods such as raw carrots or apples in favor of softer foods.

You can also notice them accidentally biting the inside of their cheek or the roof of their mouth. These are the obvious indicators that they are not biting right, and it is giving them pain.

Speech Problems

Although numerous factors can influence speech development, the location of the teeth and the tongue is critical in the pronunciation of sounds. If your child has a lisp or pronunciation problems with some sounds, especially sibilant ones, such as s, sh, or th, this can be partially caused by an open bite or misaligned teeth that do not allow the tongue to correctly against the teeth and palate. In some cases, correcting the alignment can be a significant element of effective speech therapy.

Jaw Clicking, Popping, or Pain

Be on the lookout for complaints of their jaw. When your child complains about jaw pain or you notice an audible clicking or popping noise when your child opens and closes their mouth, this may indicate a temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problem.

These symptoms may occur when the jaw joints are subjected to too much stress and pressure from a misaligned bite. Just like misaligned tires can wear down a car’s axle, a misaligned bite can stress the TMJ. This pressure can be relieved by correcting the bite and eliminating the discomfort.

When to Schedule Your Child’s First Orthodontic Visit

All these possible indicators leave the biggest question in parents' minds: when should my child visit an orthodontist? The right timing depends on your child’s stage of development and the type of treatment needed, but an expert evaluation is the best place to start.

An Orthodontic Assessment at the Age of 7

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends scheduling your child’s first orthodontic check-up by age seven. This advice is usually shocking to the parents who relate braces to adolescence. Nevertheless, this early assessment has good clinical rationale.

At age seven, your child is in a phase of mixed dentition, a mixture of milk teeth and the first permanent molars and incisors. It is a very critical window of opportunity. An orthodontist can observe the development of the dental and facial relationship, detect minor issues with jaw development, and evaluate the eruption of the permanent teeth when the jaw is still growing and highly amenable to treatment.

What to Expect At the Initial Consultation

Age seven assessment does not imply that your child will immediately receive braces. The initial orthodontic visit is mainly an exploratory mission. The orthodontist and their staff are expected to create a comfortable atmosphere. The appointment will typically include:

  • Comprehensive Evaluation: The orthodontist will do a clinical assessment of the teeth, mouth, and jaws of your child and examine all the signs discussed above
  • Diagnostic Records: They will take diagnostic records to have a full picture of what is going on beneath the surface. This consists of digital photographs and, most essentially, a panoramic X-ray. This special X-ray gives a single image of the whole mouth, enabling the orthodontist to view unerupted permanent teeth, look at missing or impacted teeth, and evaluate the jawbones and TMJ
  • Clear Discussion: After obtaining this information, the orthodontist will explain what they learned. They will describe any issues they have found and advise on a course of action. The recommendation can be as simple as observation in most cases, whereby your child is monitored after every six to twelve months. Nevertheless, they can suggest interceptive treatment in case a serious issue is identified

Orthodontic Treatment Options

If your child needs treatment, it is critical to understand the process. Orthodontic care usually follows specific steps and requires teamwork between the orthodontist, the parent, and the child.

Phase 1 (Interceptive) Treatment 

Phase 1, or interceptive orthodontics, is early orthodontic treatment that is advised between the ages of seven and ten. This early treatment aims not to make all the teeth straight but to correct major underlying issues that are likely to worsen.

Phase 2 (Comprehensive) Treatment

Phase 2 occurs at ages 11 and 13 when most, if not all, of the permanent teeth in your child have erupted. It aims to align each of the teeth in its position to result in a perfect bite.

Modern Orthodontics

Orthodontics has provided numerous options for metal braces. Ceramic braces are similar to metal ones, but they have clear or tooth-colored brackets to give them a discreet appearance. Clear aligners (Invisalign 1) are removable, practically invisible trays that gradually shift teeth, which makes eating and cleaning easy with no food restrictions.

Invisalign One is designed to treat younger children during Phase 1 treatment to correct problems such as crowding, spacing, and narrow arches. As much as aligners are suitable for most patients, traditional braces are still the most appropriate in complicated cases. The orthodontist will advise you on which is best depending on clinical requirements and lifestyle.

Braces Placement and How to take Care of them

Your child must take good care of their mouth when wearing braces. Brushing after each meal and flossing daily is vital to eliminate food and plaque around brackets and wires. Water flossers or floss threaders are helpful. To prevent damage, your child should avoid hard, sticky, and chewy foods such as hard candies, popcorn, and taffy. You should expect minor soreness following placement or adjustments, which can be alleviated using over-the-counter pain medication.

The Final Critical Step

Retainers prevent the shifting of teeth backward after braces. They fix teeth in position as the bone and ligaments stabilize. Removable or fixed, regular use will guarantee long-term results.

Investing in Your Child’s  Health

Orthodontic treatment is an investment you can never regret making in your child's future. Prices are determined by the severity of your child’s case, the kind of treatment selected (traditional braces, ceramic braces, or clear aligners), and the estimated duration of treatment.

During your initial consultation, you will be provided with a clear, comprehensive breakdown of all costs to enable you to plan confidently. To help make dental care more affordable, the majority of dental offices offer diverse payment options such as the following:

  • Dental Insurance: Most plans pay a portion of the cost. We will assist you in learning and making the best out of your benefits
  • In-Office Payment Plans: Interest-free monthly payment plans allow one to spread the cost over the treatment period
  • Third-Party Financing: We will work with reputable financing firms to provide long payment terms at low or no interest
  • Family or Sibling Discounts: Some practices offer lower rates when a new family member starts treatment
  • Seasonal Promotions: There are special offers or discounts available on a seasonal basis, which can reduce your total expenditure

By offering these options, orthodontic care is more affordable and your child will have a lifetime of a healthy and confident smile.

Find an Experienced Orthodontist Near Me

Investing in oral health is one of the best things you can do for your child. A healthy bite means a lifetime of good oral health and general well-being, while a confident smile can positively impact your child’s social life. Every child’s dental development is unique; only a professional assessment can determine the most suitable orthodontic care. You want to consult a reputable dentist if you have concerns about the alignment of your child’s teeth or want peace of mind. At South Coast Dentistry in Aliso Viejo, our dentists are ready to provide high-quality orthodontic assessments and customized treatment plans to help your child achieve a healthy and beautiful smile. Contact us today at 949-274-9086 to book your appointment for a consultation with our dentists.