Orthodontic Treatment for Adolescents

Braces are commonly placed on children around age 10-12 when the last baby teeth are falling out and the remaining permanent teeth are erupting.

Children reach the ideal time for braces at different ages. Other factors can influence the best time to start treatment for a child.

For example, some children with crowding benefit from starting as the last baby teeth are loose, but not yet lost because it allows the orthodontist to better manage the treatment of crowding and thus help prevent the need to extract permanent teeth.

On the other hand, other children will benefit by allowing their jaws to finish growing and treatment is best delayed until later teenage years.

To find the best time to start treatment, we suggest having a free consultation with our doctor so that factors affecting your child’s treatment can be discussed.

Please be assured, we are committed to beginning orthodontic treatment when it is best for the child at Escott Orthodontics. Starting too early only lengthens the time a child will need to be treated. You can count on our honest recommendation for when your child is ready to start.

Finding the right time to start orthodontic treatment is important. By beginning orthodontic treatment at the optimal time, we can often reduce orthodontic treatment costs, length, and discomfort. We feel very strongly about the necessity of following the dental and facial development of growing children. This is the reason we have created the Pre-Orthodontic Observation Program.

If your child is not ready for braces when we examine him or her, we will re-examine your child every six to twelve months to make sure baby teeth are falling out when they should, the permanent teeth have the necessary room to grow in and do not become impacted, and any bite-related problems are not getting worse. We will then explain our recommendations for your child and discuss the future probabilities for treatment.

These visits are provided as a courtesy to you and to the families in our community and are done at no charge. Any necessary photos or x-rays needed in our office are also provided as a courtesy until the point in time when treatment is deemed necessary.

If it is determined that the orthodontic problems have progressed and that treatment would be beneficial, we will recommend further diagnostic records so a definitive treatment plan can be proposed for your child. Escott Orthodontics is one of few practices in the Central Florida area that handles Pre-Orthodontic Observation at this comprehensive level.