Our specialist orthodontist at Freshdental provides early intervention treatment to younger patients from around 6 years old. It’s the ideal time to gently steer the development of young teeth or jaws, helping to avoid future problems and encouraging your child’s smile to mature beautifully.
We encourage parents and guardians to bring their children to see us from ages 6 to 8 years. This enables our team to detect any abnormalities with their tooth and jaw development early.
Planning suitable treatment at this stage, before all their baby teeth are lost in adolescence, helps to avoid more complex and lengthy treatments, including the need for tooth extraction.
The goal of early intervention orthodontics is to correct the growth of the jaw and problems such as underbite and crowding. Treatments typically include arch expansion and the use of fixed or removable orthodontic braces.
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With more than 12 years of experience, our lead orthodontic specialist, Dr Steffen Decker, is well-trained in interceptive early treatment in 7-year-olds and upwards, and has completed over 2,700 cases in early orthodontic intervention.
Passionate about invisible treatment options like Invisalign, Dr Steffen’s expertise in these treatments is unrivalled. He teaches and lectures all over the world in the field of orthodontics, and in 2017 he was awarded the world's number 1 lingual Incognito Provider.
Since 2021 he has belonged to the top 1% of Invisalign Kids & Teen Providers in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and was awarded the prestigious Diamond Apex Status.
With all these qualifications and years of experience under his belt, you know your child’s orthodontic journey is in the safest and most experienced hands with Dr Steffen.
There are some common signs to look out for that may suggest your child would benefit from early orthodontics. As their first teeth develop, start checking for the following and get in touch with Freshdental in London for a full assessment.
Children with a narrow upper jaw can be prone to a variety of orthodontic problems, including overcrowding, crossbite, and breathing difficulties. At Freshdental, our skilled orthodontist can correct this with a treatment called Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME), or arch expansion.
A custom-made appliance fitted to your child’s upper teeth will gradually and gently widen their upper jaw. This creates more space for their teeth, improving their overall bite and opening up their nasal passage.
The Rapid Maxillary Expander is a 3D printed metal appliance that fixes to your child’s teeth on each side of the palate. This is adjusted by turning a special key in the device's centre, placing outward pressure on the palate's two halves, encouraging bone to grow between them.
Your child’s orthodontist here at Freshdental will decide how often to adjust the expander to promote faster or slower expansion, depending on your child’s individual treatment plan.
Using an RME in combination with Invisalign First can reduce and even eliminate the need for orthodontics as a teenager and minimise the need for permanent tooth extractions.
Arch expansion is an effective early intervention treatment that can help correct and prevent common orthodontic concerns. These can include:
If your child has a narrow palate, their upper teeth can bite down inside the lower teeth. This can lead to asymmetrical growth.
Arch expansion can make more space for all your child's upper teeth as they grow.
Jaw expansion can increase space for air and clear the airway, helping children to breathe comfortably when relaxed and sleeping.
Our skilled orthodontist will gently fit the RME to your child's teeth without the need for drilling, and local anaesthesia isn't necessary. Your child might experience slight discomfort and some pressure on their teeth as they get used to the appliance and during adjustments—both are normal and indicate the treatment is working effectively. The RME is custom-made to fit your child's teeth, ensuring it is both comfortable and effective.
No, the RME is securely attached to your child's teeth and can only be removed by their orthodontist. This ensures compliance and guarantees that the device functions as intended, leading to predictable outcomes.
The appliance needs to be adjusted once or twice daily, depending on the required movements. Our orthodontist will demonstrate how to perform these adjustments and provide guidance on the necessary frequency, tailored to your child's specific treatment plan.
Treatment times vary for individual patients and their unique needs. Typically, arch expansion treatment can take between 8 and 12 months to complete.
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Bayswater
London
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This website was last updated on 13/08/2021 at 09:23
