Child Orthodontics
Early Treatment for children is the key! By using functional appliances on children now, most of the treatment can be completed before the adult teeth are even present. Early Interceptive orthopedics is usually the first phase of orthodontics in children as young as four years old. The treatment usually starts before the eruption of all permanent teeth and is used when the patient shows signs of jaw and bone developmental problems. Our goal is to guide the growth of the bone of the upper and lower jaw to provide adequate room for the eruption of all the permanent teeth.
Functional Appliances
We provide functional appliances that can help correct the following common orthopedic problems found in children:
- airway constriction
- thumbsucking habit
- open bites
- deep overbites
- misaligned and crowded teeth
- speech problems
- narrow arches and narrow smiles
- underdeveloped jaws and joint problems
Functional appliances are also used to correct harmful habits such as thumb sucking and tongue thrusting. Functional appliances help to aid permanent teeth to erupt straighter and can reduce the time needed in traditional braces and in some cases eliminates the need for braces.
Dr. Groeber has had extensive training in early interceptive treatment and believes that this is the best of treatment for children exhibiting such problems.