Early Orthodontic Treatment is commonly provided by orthodontists to patients having a mixture of primary and permanent teeth between the chronologic ages of 6-10 years old. Terms used to describe this type of treatment include Phase I Orthodontic Treatment, Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment or Mixed Dentition Treatment. This type of treatment has become more common in the past ten years but has always been an option for certain patients. Certain conditions are best treated early because waiting until all the permanent teeth have erupted into the mouth may not be preferred by the parent or patient or because waiting may complicate later treatment. Conditions that may benefit from early correction include crossbites, protruding upper teeth, developing dental crowding, oral habits, functional issues with speech, eating, or the bite, and in some cases are even related to the patients self esteem. Following the completion of Early Orthodontic Treatment it is generally indicated to finish each patients treatment with a second phase or completion phase of treatment. This usually includes a full set of braces around 11-14 years of age. An interesting article about this topic was recently published in the Wall Street Journal. You can read it at by copying and pasting this to your browser or click the link below:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703326204575616460332062620.html
KEYWORDS=early+orthodontic+treatment