Have you noticed spacing issues or overcrowding in your child’s mouth? Their teeth may be coming in crooked or irregularly spaced for a number of reasons. You may be considering orthodontic care to treat your child’s teeth spacing and alignment issues, but these are a few things you should consider first.
Can Children Wear Aligners
The short answer is yes. Aligners, even night time teeth aligners, have had positive effects on children’s teeth spacing challenges. Although they are not the right solution for everyone, invisible aligners, particularly those worn at night, offer significant benefits, especially for children. You don’t have to try to keep them from eating certain foods, such as popcorn, gum or nuts, because they remove their trays when they eat. In addition, food is not trapped in them like it is in braces, so their teeth stay cleaner. Their gums and cheeks are not irritated like they would be with traditional braces. Also, children with aligners have better hygiene and fewer cavities.
Your Child’s Age
Most dentists and orthodontists do not suggest that your child receive any form of orthodontic care until they are at least seven years of age. During early childhood, your children will lose their baby teeth and start getting their permanent teeth. At this same time, their jaws are moving and changing, adapting to the needs of their new teeth. If they receive orthodontic treatment during this time, it could permanently damage their adult teeth or you may have to get additional care as their teeth and jaw change and grow.
In addition, during early childhood, children often have habits that affect their alignment, such as sucking their thumbs or improper swallowing. The goal is to eliminate these habits before their permanent teeth start coming in.
So, you may be wondering when is the perfect time to start straightening your child’s teeth. Often, this should occur after they have lost all their baby teeth and their adult teeth are coming in. This typically occurs around 13-14 years of age. During this time, their teeth move and adjust naturally to the space their jaw provides. This makes moving them into place easy.
Your Child’s Responsibility
Whether you choose all-day or nigh ttime aligners, you need to know that your child will be responsible for keeping them in and treating them properly. If your children are too young, they may not properly care for their aligners, which can make them unhealthy. In addition, some children will lose, misplace or take their trays out. These actions can damage the progress that has already been made with their aligners and cost you extra money replacing them or extending their alignment period. Therefore, you need to determine whether your child is responsible enough to properly care for and wear their aligners.
Children’s Adaptability
If your child is responsible enough to wear night time aligners, they actually may have better results than adults. Children adapt much easier to things than adults, and this includes having things in their mouths without taking them out all the time. Because their compliance is better, they often complete their programmes successfully.
Consistent Assessments Are Necessary
When your child is being treated with aligners, you need consistent assessment to ensure they are addressing their spacing issues. These check-up appointments allow the orthodontist to determine your children’s adherence to their programme and whether some trays need to be worn for longer periods of time to ensure the jawbone is solidifying around the new positions of the teeth. They can also detect any other health concerns or jaw problems during these check-ups.
If your children have alignment challenges in their mouths and you are concerned about the impact these issues have on your children’s bites, teeth and oral health, invisible night time aligners may be a possible solution. Consult your dentist or orthodontist about their suggestions for your children.
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