Get a Head Start on a Lifetime of Smiles
As a parent in Western Oklahoma, you want the best for your child. That includes healthy teeth and a beautifully aligned smile.
Dr. Farrow, Dr. Dewbre, and our team at Farrow & Dewbre Orthodontics will treat your children like our own by giving them the best possible orthodontic care.
Kids Should See an Orthodontist By 7
By age seven, your child's teeth have developed enough for Dr. Farrow and Dr. Dewbre to detect subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth before all of your child’s baby teeth are lost.
This check-up may reveal that your child's bite is fine, and they won’t require braces.
In some cases, Dr. Farrow or Dr. Dewbre may identify a developing problem but recommend monitoring your child's growth and development, and then, if indicated, begin treatment at the appropriate time for your child.
In other cases, Dr. Farrow or Dr. Dewbre might find a problem that can benefit from early treatment.
What Is Early Treatment?
Early treatment may prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated.
In some cases, Dr. Farrow and Dr. Dewbre can achieve results that may not be possible once your child’s face and jaws have finished growing.
Choosing the Best Time for Treatment
While the age that kids get braces may vary, orthodontic treatment at Farrow & Dewbre Orthodontics most often begins between 9 and 14. Some orthodontic problems are easier to correct if they’re treated early.
If Dr. Farrow or Dr. Dewbre determines that your child will need treatment, they’ll let you know when it will be best to begin treatment. This gives your orthodontist the best chance to:
- Guide jaw growth
- Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
- Correct harmful oral habits
- Improve appearance and self-esteem in your child
- Guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position
- Create a more pleasing arrangement of teeth, lips and face
Signs the Bite's Not Right
It's not always easy to tell when your child may need braces or has an orthodontic problem. Even teeth that look straight may be hiding a problem bite.
Here are some clues that may indicate the need for orthodontic attention:
- Early or late loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty chewing or biting
- Biting the cheek or biting into the roof of the mouth
- Protruding teeth
- Breathing through the mouth
- Thumb-sucking
- Crowded, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
- Jaws that are too far forward or back
- Upper and lower teeth that don't meet, or meet in an abnormal way
- An unbalanced facial appearance
- Grinding or clenching of the teeth
Learn More at Your Free Consultation
Getting a head start on your child’s orthodontic care can set them up for a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles.
Contact our offices in Edmond, Oklahoma City, Clinton, or Deer Creek and we’ll schedule your child’s first orthodontic appointment. We can’t wait to meet you!