Early orthodontics
The best time to guide a bite is while it is still growing
Most parents think orthodontics starts around twelve. By then the jaw has largely done what it was going to do. Your child's bite gets watched from much earlier, at the visits they are already having.
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Early detection
The right care at the right age
We monitor jaw growth, bite development, and tooth alignment to identify concerns early, when treatment may be most beneficial.
Growing smiles, all under one roof
Within the dental home they already know
From early orthodontic assessments to interceptive treatment, we help guide your child’s developing smile within the dental home they already know.
Personalized treatment
Treatment only when it’s needed
Not every child needs braces or early orthodontic treatment. We recommend care based on your child’s individual growth, development, and needs.
Why timing matters
Guiding is easier than correcting
Children’s Dental Health Centre assesses how your child’s bite, jaw and airway are developing as part of their regular visits, starting well before the age most children are first looked at for this. Where treatment helps, we guide growth that is already happening instead of correcting it later. You don’t need a referral.
A child’s jaw is still forming. It responds to gentle direction in a way that a finished adult jaw simply doesn’t. That is the whole argument for looking early: not to start treatment sooner, but to have the option while the option still exists.
It also means a lot of children need nothing at all. Being watched closely isn’t the same as being treated, and no appliance is going on a child who doesn’t need one.
program or referral
What we look for
What’s worth catching early
None of these mean your child needs treatment. They are simply the things that get much harder to fix once growth has finished.
How the jaw is growing
Upper and lower jaws grow at different rates. Catching a mismatch while the bones are still soft is far easier than correcting it at fifteen.
Crowding before it shows
We can often see there won’t be room for the adult teeth years before you would notice any crowding at home.
Crossbite and open bite
A bite that closes wrong wears teeth unevenly and can pull the jaw off centre as it grows.
Thumb and pacifier habits
Most children stop on their own. When they don’t, what it does to the front teeth and the palate is worth sorting out early.
Mouth breathing and airway
How a child breathes affects how the face and palate develop, so we look at it as a matter of course, not as an afterthought.
Teeth arriving late or out of order
Eruption timing tells us a lot. A tooth that hasn’t turned up when it should is worth a closer look.
How it usually works
Most children follow one of these paths
Watch and wait
Everything is developing normally. We keep checking at regular visits and do nothing else. This is where most children land.
Guide growth early
A short early phase, often a small appliance, to make room or correct how the jaw is closing. Done while the bones are still responsive.
Align the teeth
Once the adult teeth are in, straightening them. For a child who had an early phase, this stage is often shorter and simpler.
Beyond straight teeth
How a child breathes shapes how their face grows
A child who habitually breathes through their mouth develops differently from one who breathes through their nose. It shows in the palate, the bite and the position of the jaw.
Dr. Don He’s research background is in exactly this area, studying how ventilatory support influences facial development in preterm infants. It is part of why your child’s growth and development get looked at here, not just the straightness of the teeth.
The right time to guide a growing smile
Early orthodontic assessments help us identify developing concerns before they become more complex. Whether your child may benefit from early intervention or simply needs more time to grow, we’ll guide you every step of the way.
Good to know
What parents ask about timing
When should my child first be checked for orthodontic problems?
Earlier than most parents expect. How the bite and jaw are developing gets watched from your child’s earliest visits here, long before the age at which most children are first looked at for this. That is not the same as starting treatment. It means that if something needs attention, you hear about it while there are still easy options.
Is my child too young for braces?
Possibly, and that is fine. Early orthodontics is not about putting braces on a six year old. It is about guiding growth that is happening anyway. Sometimes the answer is a small appliance. Often it is watching closely and doing nothing yet.
Why not just wait until all the adult teeth are in?
The right timing matters, but so does your child’s comfort and readiness.
For many children, waiting until more adult teeth have erupted is the best approach. However, certain jaw and bite concerns are easier to address while a child is still growing. There may be a limited window during active growth and development when early orthodontic treatment can be particularly beneficial.
But timing is only part of the equation. Successful orthodontic treatment also depends on your child’s comfort, cooperation, and ability to wear an appliance consistently. Some children simply aren’t ready for bulky orthodontic appliances or a mouth full of hardware, even when their growth stage suggests an ideal opportunity for treatment.
At Children’s Dental Health Centre, we believe in guiding growth and development using the most comfortable, practical, and child-friendly approach possible. Whenever appropriate, we explore less intrusive appliances that support jaw development while making treatment easier for children to tolerate.
We also understand that orthodontic treatment is a financial commitment. If an appliance isn’t the right fit for your child, we’ll discuss alternative options, explain any differences in cost, and help your family make an informed decision without unnecessary financial pressure.
Our philosophy is simple: The best orthodontic treatment isn’t always the earliest or most aggressive. It’s the treatment that works best for your child’s growth, comfort, and individual needs.
Will my child need braces twice?
Not necessarily! Early orthodontic treatment doesn’t always mean braces, and not every child needs two phases of treatment.
Orthodontic care has evolved, and today there are many comfortable, child-friendly appliance options available. When early interceptive orthodontic treatment (Phase 1) is recommended, the goal is often quite simple: to create space for incoming permanent teeth, improve the shape of the dental arches, or guide jaw growth and development.
For many children, Phase 1 treatment may involve a removable retainer-style appliance or another relatively simple orthodontic device rather than traditional braces. We focus on choosing an appliance that is effective, comfortable, and appropriate for your child’s age, growth, and ability to cooperate with treatment.
Phase 2 treatment, when needed, typically focuses on aligning the permanent teeth and refining the bite. This may involve traditional braces or clear aligners, depending on your child’s individual needs, preferences, and readiness.
Some children benefit from both phases, while others may only need one, or no orthodontic treatment at all. Early treatment does not necessarily eliminate the need for braces later, but when appropriately recommended, it can help address specific developmental concerns at a time when growth may be easier to guide.
Our goal isn’t to start orthodontic treatment sooner or provide more appliances than necessary. It’s to recommend the right treatment at the right time, with your child’s comfort, cooperation, and your family’s financial considerations in mind.
Can early orthodontic treatment help my child avoid extractions or surgery later?
Yes! In some cases, early orthodontic treatment can reduce the need for permanent tooth extractions, surgical procedures, or more complex orthodontic treatment later.
By monitoring your child’s jaw growth, available space, and permanent tooth development, we can identify concerns early and intervene when growth can be guided most effectively.
Interceptive orthodontics (Phase 1) may help:
Create space for permanent teeth, potentially reducing the need for extractions.
Guide impacted canines into better eruption positions, potentially avoiding surgical exposure.
Improve jaw development and bite relationships, potentially reducing the severity of problems that might otherwise require jaw surgery.
Encourage healthier, more balanced eruption of permanent teeth.
Not every child requires early treatment, and surgery or extractions cannot always be prevented. Our goal is to recommend comfortable, minimally invasive treatment when it can make a meaningful difference.
The right intervention at the right time can help create a healthier smile and potentially simplify future orthodontic treatment.
Do you treat it here, or do we get sent elsewhere?
Our pediatric dentists assess your child’s growth, bite and the space available, and we provide interceptive treatment here when it is appropriate. Care may run as an early phase in childhood and a later phase once the adult teeth are in. Comprehensive treatment may be offered within our practice, by a pediatric dentist or by an orthodontist, depending on what your child needs. Where the care is better completed by an orthodontist outside our practice, we will explain why and help with the referral.
Does my child need a referral?
If your child is already a patient here, no: the assessment is part of the care they are already getting. For a new family, it depends what you are coming for. Joining our prevention program as a new patient needs no referral. A specialist consultation about one concern, when your child already has a general dentist, is the situation where we ask that dentist for a referral.