The best time to get orthodontic treatment

There are many contents in orthodontics. It mainly refers to repairing teeth through oral technology to avoid uneven teeth. In addition, caries and abnormal tooth morphology can be corrected and treated. There is a certain optimal time for orthodontic treatment. If the treatment can be performed at the best time, the effect will be best. For example, the deciduous teeth period and the replacement teeth period are both better treatment times.

The best time for orthodontic treatment varies according to different age groups:

1. Primary teeth period (3 to 5 years old). The main purpose of correction is to promote the normal development of children's maxillofacial region. During this period, the main targets are malocclusions such as deciduous teeth crossbite (i.e. overbite), mandibular protrusion, posterior teeth crossbite, etc. that hinder the normal development of the maxillofacial region. It also promptly corrects bad habits that affect the normal function of the oral cavity, such as tongue sticking out and lip biting, to prevent further occurrence of malocclusion.

2. Tooth replacement period (girls: 8-10 years old, boys: 9-12 years old). Generally, there is no need to correct the local malocclusion that occurs during this period. However, for bad habits such as lip biting, tongue sticking out, and mandibular protrusion, or abnormal facial shape, anterior crossbite, functional mandibular retrusion, and abnormal relationship between the upper and lower jaws, it is often necessary to go to the hospital to see an orthodontic specialist for examination in time to determine whether it is a dental, functional, or skeletal malocclusion in order to clarify the treatment plan.

3. Permanent teeth period (girls: 11-14 years old, boys: 13-15 years old). Permanent dentition begins to form around the age of 12. Once malocclusion occurs at this time, it will not disappear automatically and can only be corrected through treatment by an orthodontic specialist. This period is the best time to correct malocclusion in children, with the best effect. All types of malocclusion can be corrected with orthodontic treatment.

Age restriction

1. Compared with children, adults have more restrictions when receiving comprehensive orthodontic treatment. If the problem of tooth bite is caused by the underdevelopment of the upper and lower jaws, since the face and bones of an adult have basically been formed, it must be cured through orthodontic treatment. Only by combining orthodontics and maxillofacial surgery can deviations in jaw development in adults be corrected. Functional braces, which are used to correct abnormal jaw bone development in children, are generally not successful in adults.

2. With the development of society, people's requirements for quality of life are gradually increasing, and more and more adults are seeking orthodontic treatment to improve their smiles, correct their tooth bite or correct other problems caused by injuries, diseases or long-term neglect of oral care. Today's society pays more attention to personal image and health. Having a pleasant smile and neat teeth can increase your confidence. A healthy, beautiful smile can boost self-confidence at any age.

3. Healthy teeth can be moved at any age. However, because the physiological metabolism of adults is not as active as that of young patients, and the oral environment is more complex than that of young patients, the difficulty and time required for orthodontic treatment will increase to a certain extent. Of course, because the facial bones of adults no longer grow, some serious malocclusion problems cannot be corrected with braces alone. Sometimes they require maxillofacial surgery combined with orthodontic treatment to solve them.