Prevention

At Chong Orthodontics we treat patients as young as 6, as early orthodontic treatment can help guide adult teeth as they come in and minimize future interventions. This can help stop problems before they start. 

Problems to Watch for in Growing Children

The images below belong to a patient we first saw at the age of 9. You can see that she has developing crowding. Her front teeth are crooked. Her permanent cuspids ( canine teeth ) do not have enough room to erupt and are coming in wide. 

On her x-rays, you can see her permanent cuspids and bicuspids are crowded by overlapping of her teeth. To prevent her crowding from worsening, we recommended preventative Phase I treatment with bicuspid extractions and a retainer to guide in her erupting permanent teeth. 

The extractions and upper retainer treatment relieved her crowding and allowed us to guide in her remaining teeth over a three year span. You can see the improvements in the alignment and how her remaining permanent teeth came in straight instead of crooked or blocked. The lower teeth also improved without requiring any treatment at all. 

With small residual spaces and a nice alignment of her front teeth, she is ready at age 12 for a simple Phase II treatment to fine tune her smile.