Keys and main uncertainties in orthodontics for children

If you are thinking about performing an orthodontic treatment for your children, Dr. Díez-Cascón solves in this video interview the most common doubts about the devices and the periods of the treatments depending on the case of each child.

When is the best time to place the orthodontic appliances?

The best time to place orthodontic appliances depends on the problem the child has. For example, if what you are worried about is that your child has a lack of space, it is best to wait until he has the final dentition, about 12-13 years old , and do an alignment treatment by placing braces. On the other hand, if what worries you is an orthopedic alteration, that is to say that it closes badly , it may be necessary to do an early treatment, before the replacement of definitive dentition to fix the bone problem so that it closes well, then there will be a period of rest and in a second phase we will align the teeth on bases that we have already corrected orthopedically.

When should the treatment be done in one phase and when in two?

It will depend on the problem, if the problem is orthopedic the ideal is to carry out the treatment in two phases. In a first phase, over 9 years, what we will do is correct the bone problem , we will correct the way of closing the child. This will consume a certain time, then we will let it rest and in final dentition we will consider the need or not of a second phase to align the teeth. On the other hand, if the child closes correctly and all he needs is a dental alignment, we will wait for the definitive dentition about 11, 12, 13 years depending on each child and then we will perform a teeth alignment treatment with fixed appliances .

What types of devices are there?

Basically there are two large groups, the fixed and the removable. The fixed appliances have a great control over the tooth, they apply a continuous and soft force. You have to know that the tooth as best moves is with gentle forces. On the other hand, the group of removable appliances, what they do is apply to the tooth an intense and discontinuous force, only when we carry the device. Therefore, broadly speaking, we could think that the fixed device is better, although it has a great disadvantage and that it creates corners where there were none, that is, it needs the child to brush a lot better because what happens is that the risk of caries increases.

How long does it take an ortodoncy treatment?

The duration of a child orthodontic treatment is usually 2 years but there are many variants. It is very important that orthodontist, child and parents form a team, that is, if the child starts to break the devices or the parents do not control that the child brushes well, a treatment can be eternal, it can be heavy, that is, ideal is that we form a team the parents, the orthodontist and your children.