The Importance of Early Orthodontic Evaluations for Children

At the Smile Makers, we follow the recommendation of the American Association of Orthodontists that ideally the initial orthodontic evaluation for your child should be around 7 to 9 years of age. It is during these years in your child’s facial and dental development that baby teeth are starting to be lost, permanent teeth are erupting and the jaw positions can be evaluated. As a result, at this initial visit our orthodontists are specifically evaluating facial growth, tooth development/eruption, and any significant crowding concerns.

Based on the findings of this initial evaluation our orthodontists will give some recommendations. Oftentimes no treatment is recommended if everything is developing normally and the child is placed on no charge 6-12 month recall intervals so that tooth development/eruption and jaw growth can be followed. However, there are certain conditions such as habits, crossbites, severe crowding and eruption concerns that may need to be addressed at this age. The GREAT news is that this initial orthodontic evaluation and subsequent recall visits are ALWAYS at no charge at the Smile Makers!  So give us a call today at our Jacksonville, Morehead City, or Havelock location to schedule that initial evaluation for your child with our board certified orthodontists.