• Crowding of the upper front permanent teeth
• A “shift” of the lower jaw sideways (which is the only way the child can bite and chew food)
• Crooked lower jaw growth
• Abnormal tooth wear
• Breathing and airway problems

This is an 8-year-old that we treated recently. Notice how her upper jaw is shaped narrower than her lower jaw. Even though her upper front teeth have spaces between them, a closer look shows that there isn’t enough room for her side teeth, the lateral incisors to grow in. When she is biting her teeth together you can see that her upper and lower midlines don’t line up with each other and she has a crossbite on one side in the back.

She was treated with an upper expander retainer to widen her upper jaw which helped with the crossbite correction. We also used upper and lower limited braces to align the crowded front teeth.

Here’s her results showing a much wider upper jaw, straight upper teeth and lower front teeth, a better bite in the back on both sides and a great big confident smile!

Keep in mind that kids who need early treatment will almost always need a final phase of treatment when they are older to align all the other permanent teeth that haven’t grown in yet. But she now has the benefit of more room for those permanent teeth to fit and most importantly, normal jaw growth growing forward because of the crossbite and growth correction that was completed.

Remember that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all kids 7 and older have an orthodontic consultation. You don’t need a referral from a dentist for that appointment. Feel free to call us at 801-614-9090 to schedule! And don’t forget to…

Keep Smiling,

Dr. Coleman

The post See How We Corrected This Crossbite In an 8-Year-Old Patient at Coleman Orthodontics! first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.

Here’s a case in point. This patient was 8 years old when he first came to our office. His top and bottom front permanent teeth didn’t have enough room to fit. You can see how narrow his upper and lower jaws were. We first used special retainers called expanders to widen his upper jaw and “upright” his lower back teeth. Uprighting means to tip the back teeth out so they don’t angle in towards his tongue so much. Then with some limited braces, we moved his upper and lower front permanent teeth into this new space created by the expansion. It’s important to do this expansion treatment when a child is growing. Once growth is complete, it’s only possible to expand the jaws with surgery or more difficult procedures.   

Before

After

This is the final result of his early orthodontic treatment, sometimes called “Phase 1” treatment or “Interceptive” treatment. Notice how much wider his upper and lower jaws are. Notice how his upper and lower front permanent teeth all fit in better. Now he’ll have enough room for all of his other permanent teeth to eventually grow in. And as a side note, he gained a lot of confidence in his smile and the way his teeth looked! That’s always a positive for these younger kids too.    

Remember that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all kids 7 and older have an orthodontic consultation. If you have any questions about early orthodontic treatment or otherwise, please call our  Coleman Orthodontics office in Syracuse, Utah at 801-614-9090. We are passionate about helping people understand more about the benefits of orthodontic treatment!  

Keep Smiling, 

Dr. Coleman 

The post See How We Treated This Eight-Year-Old With Crowded Teeth!  first appeared on Coleman Orthodontics.