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It is essential that all children be examined
for orthodontic deformities by about the age of 7 when the
most common skeletal deformities can most easily be treated.
Many of these problems are not apparent to the
parents, and require a dental exam to identify them.
And here lies
the real art of orthodontics. If
need be, orthodontics can be started as early as 8-9 years.
Left untreated, these deformities cause the child lots of
functional and esthetic problems in the years ahead.
Children are
special because they are growing. Their bone is relatively
soft and fairly pliable; hence it is easy to guide the bone
growth. The optimum age for beginning treatment depends upon
the specific deformity that the dentist needs to correct,
but the best age for evaluation of that specific
deformity is usually age 7.Girls
need to examined earlier as compared to boys.
A major growth
spurt takes place at puberty. This is another crucial time
. When deformities are assessed early and treated prior to
the time that they have fully developed, we have
"intercepted" the problem and this is referred to as
interceptive orthodontics.
The congenital skeletal deformities
Congenital
skeletal deformities are conditions occurring at birth
and are usually caused by genetic factors. Basically
these signify the bone structure which has a heredity
pattern. This gives the profile to the child which could be
anyone of the three:
Class I
This type of profile is called a Class I occlusion (occlusion means
the way the top and bottom teeth fit each other) and it is
characterized by the relative positions of the upper and
lower first molars. The class I occlusion yields the best
facial profile.
Class II
This is
probably the most common skeletal deformity (deviation from
"normal"). This occlusion yields a "weak" chin, or retruded
chin profile.
Class III
Class III deformities yield a "prognathic", or "strong chin"
appearance. This could be caused by over development of the
lower jaw, or by underdevelopment of the upper jaw .
For more information and case studies
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