Functional (Growth) Appliances and/or Limited Braces-ages 5 to 12

We evaluate all our patients for orthodontic needs, and provide the necessary guidance for present and/or future needs.  Early detection and intervention allows us to take advantage of your child’s growth and work with this natural process to “guide” growth.   Ultimately, sometimes we can prevent worse problems with early orthodontics.  The American Association of Orthodontist (AAO) recommends early orthodontic treatment for the following early warning signs:

• Early or late loss of baby teeth
• Difficulty in chewing or biting
• Mouth breathing
• Finger sucking or other oral habits
• Crowding, misplaced, or blocked-out teeth
• Jaws that shift, make sounds, protrude or retrude
• Speech difficulty
• Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
• Protruding teeth
• Teeth that meet in an abnormal way or don’t meet at all
• Facial imbalance or asymmetry
• Grinding or clenching of teeth
• Space maintenance (for missing teeth)

In Phase One treatment, the goal is to achieve the correct position and symmetry of the jaws, to consider future growth and spacing of the teeth, to improve breathing and address other oral habits.   All of the above, if left untreated, may eventually affect dentofacial development.