Believe it or not, every year almost 4 million kids and teens start wearing braces or begin some sort of orthodontic treatment. While before, wearing braces was typical for ‘nerds’ and ‘geeks’, today it’s almost like a right of passage for many kids.

However, wearing these devices known as braces is not for fun at all – braces are supposed to solve serious problems and improve appearance.

The main question that many parents struggle with is how to know whether your child needs orthodontic treatment of some kind?

Stick with us to find out all the signs that indicate that your child may need to visit an orthodontist.

• Problems with speech

The easiest way to spot a problem is when your child develops a speech problem. In many cases, this problem is associated with misaligned teeth but, of course, there might be other causes as well.

In case your child has problems pronouncing certain words or they have a lisp – you should take them to a dentist or an orthodontist. A professional will be able to tell you with certainty if the speech problem can be fixed by wearing braces or if the problem is of a different kind.

• Problems with chewing

Sometimes children have problems with eating and chewing because of the misaligned teeth or problems with the jaw. If you notice that your child struggles with biting or chewing food take them to an orthodontist who will be able to effectively treat this problem and straighten their teeth with braces.

• Early and irregular baby teeth loss

Usually, children start losing teeth around 5 or 6 years old, however, each child is unique and individual so this can vary. What is not good is when your child starts losing their baby teeth too early and irregularly.

If you notice that your child is losing teeth too early, or if the reason for the teeth loss is severe tooth decay – you must visit the dentist. Orthodontic treatment with braces can prevent the rest of the teeth from moving or getting misaligned until the adult teeth are still in the process of growing.

• Misaligned jaw

Sometimes children have problems with misaligned jaw and misaligned jaw can cause overbite, underbite, or crossbite. 

Overbite happens when the upper teeth protrude over lower teeth and it’s usually caused by the shape and size of the teeth or jaw. For example, your kid may have too big teeth and not enough room in the jaw area for all of them.

An underbite is the opposite of overbite, and it’s characterized by lower teeth being extended further than the upper front teeth. An underbite is caused by either thumb or pacifier sucking, pushing teeth with the tongue, or overuse of bottle feeding.

Crossbite happens when the upper front teeth are behind the lower teeth (similar to underbite). This condition causes painful problems and can impact groups of teeth. 

Each of these dental conditions can cause problems with chewing, speaking, and even swallowing. If you want to ensure a healthy bite and aligned teeth you should consider orthodontics for your child so that these kinds of problems can be detected and treated early on.

• Crooked teeth and gaps

Large teeth and a small jaw can often create crowding and lack of space in your child’s mouth. This lack of space causes teeth to start overlapping or growing too close together. 

When a child’s teeth are crowded many different problems may arise – from speech problems to chewing and biting problems, mouth breathing, and many more.

Similarly, just like crowding, children can also have gaps in their teeth. They usually happen once children’s baby teeth are replaced with their adult teeth. These gaps can be small or large, but in most cases, it’s just a cosmetic issue.

Both crooked or crowded teeth just like gaps in teeth can be easily fixed with braces. The orthodontist will suggest braces as a solution as they can straighten your child’s teeth and they can close the gaps as well.

It’s important to say that many of these dental conditions mostly happen due to genetics. Of course, there are cases when the reason for them is bad habits but in most cases, it’s just genetics. 

The easiest way to spot problems or signs that your child needs some sort of treatment is to regularly take them to a dentist’s office. This way, the dentist will be able to spot a problem and suggest a treatment early on. If you’re in need of a good recommendation, check out this reputable family dentist in charlotte for more information on orthodontic treatments.If you’re in need of a good recommendation, check out this reputable family dentist in charlotte for more information on orthodontic treatments.

About Author:

Jasmine Anderson is a lifestyle blogger based in Australia. She is an incurable daydreamer, who finds inspiration in little, everyday moments. Spending time at her cozy home office with her two cats, writing her blog, is her favorite thing in the world.