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Orthodontist Services in North Shore Sydney

Why is Early Interceptive Orthodontics important?

At Killara dental we believe early orthodontic treatment is important as children’s health, growth and development are the top priority.

We examine children as early as one to ensure we give you and your family the most up to date advice in regards to your child’s feeding, sleeping and oral habits. By setting the correct foundations and having routine monitoring we will guide you in the right direction to ensure their dental, airway, growth and development are on the right track. The earlier we are able to identify a developing problem, the greater the range of options for helping to redirect growth. Oral habits such as thumb or finger sucking or mouth breathing can frequently cause a malocclusion (bad bite) or overcrowding of teeth. Being able to identify the causes of a functional imbalance often allows us to take a non-invasive approach to treatment such as posture and habit retraining and these methods can be very effective.

Often postural problems can be due to less obvious reasons such as dietary intolerances which can result in nasal congestion and cranial strains which may be the product of birth trauma. There are numerous reasons that can result in a change to head and neck posture, impacting the action of facial muscles and jaws. The adverse effects of muscle imbalance include a deficit growth of the upper jaw or maxilla and inappropriate posture and function of the lower jaw or mandible.
Important Factors
As a team we aim to achieve health, beauty and stability in your child’s face, airway and nasal sinuses. The three most important factors that determine the success of this is achieving the BIG 3:

  • Nasal breathing
  • No tongue habits
  • Lip seal

Preorthodontic Treatment in Children
Things that may interfere in your child growing normally and achieving the BIG 3 include:

  • Chronic mouth breathing habit
  • Snoring and sleep disorders
  • Enlarged tonsils and adenoids
  • Nasal obstruction
  • Allergies
  • Chronic sinus infections

What is the Aim of Early Interceptive Orthodontics? 
Our aim is to help guide normal facial growth so your child’s jaws can comfortably accommodate a full set of adult teeth in the ideal aesthetic and functional arrangement. We feel that removing teeth to more easily accommodate teeth is undesirable, not least because it will not correct the underlying imbalances and ultimately could create instability and negative health consequences.
What type of solutions may be used in early interceptive orthodontics? 
We evaluate every child very carefully to understand the underlying issues. This careful diagnosis will enable us to offer the correct treatments from a range of solutions. Possible solutions can include:

  • Diet and nutrition modification
  • Postural retraining using myo appliances or T4K appliances
  • Myofunctional therapy and we may refer your child to a Specialist Speech pathologist who will be able to assist with more profound posture and habit problems and speech problems.
  • Airway evaluation and management involving a consultation with a Specialist Ear Nose and Throat physician
  • The use of orthopaedic or orthodontic appliances, orthodontic expansion plates, expanders, headgear  therapy to help develop the jaw and improve the bite in preadolescent children

What is Phased Treatment? 
Sometimes treatment will be carried out in distinct phases with phase I beginning between the ages of 6 to 12. At this stage, treatment will use one or more non-invasive and straightforward therapies and is designed to help optimise the shape of the arches and the relationship between the upper and lower teeth.

A second phase of treatment can be carried out between the ages of 12 and 15 and will concentrate on tooth realignment. Treatment at this stage is usually more cosmetically oriented and will help provide your child with a nice, attractive smile.

By the end of treatment your child should have a full set of teeth that are ideally aligned, enabling them to breathe without obstruction. Their jaw joints and musculature will be able to function in harmony, providing lifelong benefits.

Call us today for a consultation!

We also do Clear Braces. Read more here! Smile Tru aligner therapy.  and invisalign

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