Phase 1 Interceptive Orthodontic treatment helps to minimize extractions when treating tooth alignment and bite issues in children. In today's post our orthodontists in the Greater Vancouver area explain how Phase 1 Treatment could help to transform your child's smile.
Why should my child have Phase 1 Interceptive Treatment?
At Greater Vancouver Orthodontics we can use interceptive orthodontics to treat children's bite and misalignment issues before they develop into more severe orthodontic issues.
Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment typically starts when the child is between the ages of 7-11 years old, while there is still a mix of baby teeth and adult teeth. This approach allows the orthodontist to take advantage of your child's ongoing dental development, while correcting issues. In many cases Phase 1 Interceptive Orthodontics can help to minimize or even avoid the need for extractions over the course of your child's orthodontic treatment.
What issues can Phase 1 Interceptive Treatment correct?
This early approach to orthodontic treatment can be used to correct misalignment and bite issues while the child's jaws are still developing, allowing the orthodontist to address arch problems, and make room for existing teeth as well as incoming teeth.
Phase 1 Orthodontics can help to prevent pre-existing issues from becoming more severe, correct existing tooth alignment problems, and help to make Phase 2 treatment easier and shorter.
What is used in Phase 1 Orthodontic Treatment?
There are a number of different methods that can be used to help correct young smiles. Phase 1 Orthodontic Treatment may include devices such as space maintainers, limited phase braces (select teeth), specialized retainers, expansion appliances, or Invisalign First aligners.
How can Invisalign First help to correct my child's orthodontic issues?
Invisalign First aligners can help to correct a number of orthodontic issues in children, such as narrow dental arches, misaligned teeth, crowding, and gapped teeth.
Unlike some other treatments available for Phase 1 Treatment, Invisalign First is a set of clear plastic aligner that can conveniently be removed. Removable aligners mean that your child won't have to give up any of the foods they love while straightening their smile, and there are no brackets or wires to cause irritation. Invisalign First even helps to keep oral hygiene easy, kids can simply remove their aligners whenever it's time to clean their teeth.