does your child really need braces? - wilson …...special report: does your child really need...

DOES YOUR CHILD REALLY NEED

BRACES?

www.WilsonOrthodontics.com

SPECIAL REPORT

SPECIAL REPORT: Does Your Child Really Need Braces? 2

CONTENTS

About this Special Report………………………………………………………………….....................3

At What Age Should My Child First See An Orthodontist?.......................................4

What Problems Can Be Found At An Early Age?......................................................5

Does Every Child Benefit From Early Orthodontic Treatment?................................6

Why Choose an Orthodontic Specialist?...................................................................7

What Happens If My Child Isn’t Ready for Braces?..................................................8

What Payment Options Are Available If My Child Needs Braces?............................9


About This Special Report

Dear Friend,

I wrote this report specifically for parents who are wondering whether or not their child really needs braces. As a parent, I share your desire to do what is best for your child while only doing things that are necessary and/or beneficial. It is my hope that this special report will assist you in better understanding early orthodontic treatment and braces and how they can help your child achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.

As an orthodontist, every day I get questions from parents who wonder if their child needs braces, what age should they start treatment and can treatment be accomplished in one phase or are two phases necessary. In this special report, I am addressing some of these common questions. After reading this report, you will learn the answers to these common questions and have a better understanding about the benefits of early treatment, the age children should be seen by an orthodontist, and different financing options when paying for braces.

I hope this special report is helpful and please feel free to contact my office with any questions or to schedule a complimentary exam for your child.

Sincerely,


At What Age Should My Child First See An

Orthodontist?

While there is no exact age to begin orthodontic treatment, the American

Association of Orthodontists recommends all children have a check-up with an

orthodontic specialist by age 7. I am in complete agreement with this statement.

By age 7, children's teeth and jaws have developed to the point that we can

discover potential problems that may be associated with erupting teeth and jaw

alignment.

For the majority of 7 year olds, the first visit is nothing more than a screening

exam. It will serve as a baseline as your child continues to develop and get new

teeth. There are some children, approximately 10-15 percent, who can benefit

from what we refer to as "interceptive orthodontics".

There are specific dental issues we may and treat, including:

early loss of baby teeth

impacted teeth

jaw alignment issues

excessive crowding or spacing

By addressing the issues above, we also help eliminate

social/psychological issues that may result from being

teased about their dental appearance. A beautiful smile

not only improves confidence in a child, it assures a much

healthier mouth!


What Problems Can Be Found At An Early Age?

There are very few problems parents can see when looking at their child's mouth.

It takes a trained eye to carefully examine your child's mouth to find the majority

of problems that might be present at an early age.

Here is a list of the most common problems that may be found:

Crossbites (front or back teeth)

Impacted teeth

Severe crowding

Irregular spacing

Narrow palate

Ectopic eruption

Jaw misalignment

Early or late loss of baby teeth

Thumb sucking effects

Blocked out teeth

Upper and lower teeth that do not meet properly

As detailed above, there are many problems that may be present as early as age

7. The best way to rule out any of these problems is to have your child evaluated

by an orthodontist. Most children that need interceptive orthodontics won't

begin treatment until age 8 or 9, but it is critical to catch problems early to help

minimize the additional problems created as they get older.

By taking your child to the orthodontist at age 7, you are assuring they get the

best head start on finding and addressing any problems present. This will ensure

a future with a healthy, beautiful smile.


Does Every Child Benefit From Early Orthodontic

Treatment?

At this point, you may be worried that every child needs early orthodontic

treatment. That just isn't the case. In my office, I have examined several

thousand children and found that the number of them requiring early orthodontic

treatment was only 10-15 percent.

There is only one way to determine if your

child falls into the 10-15 percent of children

and that is to see an orthodontist. Early

detection is the key factor in eliminating

problems that cannot be corrected when the

child is older. If we can reduce the likelihood

of jaw surgery or lessen the need for

permanent tooth extraction down the road,

you will be thankful your child had early

orthodontic treatment.

If your child has yet to see an orthodontist

and is already past age 7, now is the time!


Why Choose An Orthodontic Specialist?

Many parents wonder if they really need to take their child to see an orthodontist

if they are already being seen by their regular dentist. While a dentist plays

animportant role in maintaining your child's oral health, seeing an orthodontist is

crucial to ensuring that nothing is overlooked and the optimal treatments are

selected and performed.

To understand why a specialist is recommended, it is important to know what an

orthodontist is and what they do. An orthodontist is a dental specialist that

completes an additional 2-3 years of specialty training in orthodontics after they

have completed dental school. More often than not, they graduated at or near

the top of their dental school class. They are experts in the art and science of

moving teeth into the ideal positions to create beautiful, healthy smiles. The

additional training enables an orthodontist to accurately identify, diagnose and

treat dental issues and conditions such as:

Teeth that protrude

Grinding or clenching of teeth

Upper and lower teeth that do not

properly meet

Early or late loss of teeth

Difficulty with chewing or biting

Crowding or blocked-out teeth

Speech impediments

Biting into the roof of the mouth


By taking your child to an orthodontist, you know that you are getting to most in-

depth diagnosis and treatment for child that is available.

What Happens If My Child Isn't Ready For Braces?

Let’s say you’ve noticed some of the problems referred to earlier in this article

and you’ve decided to have an orthodontist examine your child. You finish the

appointment and the orthodontist tells you your child doesn’t need orthodontic

treatment at that time. What do you do now? Quite simply, you should work

with the orthodontist to monitor your child’s mouth as new teeth erupt.

Orthodontic treatment may still be necessary later in life if any problems are

detected.

We always recommend allowing us to continue

monitoring your child. We can obtain important

information and screen for jaw developmental

problems, tooth impactions and other problems

that may arise. Regular orthodontic check-ups are

an important part of maintaining your child’s

dental health.

Typically, we will monitor your child with a free exam every 6-12 months. Each

exam allows us to monitor jaw growth and alignment as well as early or late loss

of teeth that may affect future tooth alignment. By continuing to monitor your

child, we are able to determine the ideal time to put braces on.

Treating your child at the ideal time allows us to minimize the time your child is in

braces and obtain the highest quality result. This helps reduce decalcification and

other problems that can occur when braces are left on the teeth too long.


What Payment Options Are Available If My Child Needs

Braces?

“How am I going to pay for braces?” is one of the most common questions that I

hear from parents. Unlike medical insurance, many families do not have

orthodontic insurance that covers

the cost of braces and those that

do realize it will only cover a

portion of the total expense.

However, orthodontic treatment is

very important in many aspects

including dental health and social

acceptance, and you should do

everything possible to provide it for

your child.

Like most significant dental procedures, orthodontic treatment is costly and can

range from $5,000 - $7,500. The silver lining is there are many options available

to those who do not have the funds readily available to pay for the treatment.

Listed below are a few payment options available:

Flex Spending Accounts.Through the help of a Flex Spending Account (FSA),

many people are able to afford braces and other orthodontic treatment

options. An FSA is set up through your place of employment and allows

you to set aside pre-tax money for use in medical as well as dental

expenses. If you are eligible, you should get an FSA started now so this

money will be available when you need it.


3rd Party Financing.Most orthodontists have an outside 3rd party program

that will allow you to pay for orthodontic treatment over longer terms

using a low interest loan. The terms of the loan are determined by your

financial situation and credit score.

In office Treatment Plans. This is an interest free plan that allows you to

make monthly payments for treatment services. Your orthodontist will

work with you in ensuring you have a comfortable monthly payment over

the length of treatment after a down payment has been made.

Don’t let paying for your child’s orthodontic treatment from discourage you

from seeking treatment. The payment options are available to assist you in

helping your child achieve a healthy, beautiful smile.


I am grateful my parents provided braces for me as a young child. I

remember being too embarrassed to smile because my canine teeth were

up high, so I opted to not show my teeth in pictures.

Orthodontic treatment not only changed my appearance by giving me a

great smile, it changed my confidence level. It wasn’t easy for my parents

to pay for braces, but they found a way. That experience made such an

impact on me that I decided to become an orthodontist so I could give that

same life changing experience to other children.

I hope you have found this report helpful in answering some of the

questions you may have about your child’s orthodontic treatment. While I

can only address some of the more common questions here, I would be

more than happy to help you determine if your child needs braces by

offering a complimentary exam.

We are ready when you are, so please call my office today to schedule your

child’s initial exam. We have helped thousands of children improve their

smile and by bringing your child in we can help them achieve a healthy,

beautiful smile for life!

does your child really need braces? - wilson …...special report: does your child really need...

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