It is not easy taking care of your child. You need to keep them protected, safe, and secure. You also need to deal with a myriad of other things that will keep them healthy and happy. As they grow older, their needs keep on changing and evolving. You might have to even check if your child needs braces. It is of the utmost importance to get this at an early age so that they do not have to deal with crooked teeth for a longer period of time. The longer you wait, the more expensive and painful it will get. Here are some signs and symptoms that your child needs braces.
Late loss of their baby teeth
A child usually loses all of their baby teeth by the age of 6. This can get delayed for another year or so, but no later than that. The adult teeth grow out by the age of ten, which is quite worrying if their teeth have not fallen out completely. There will not be any room for permanent teeth and there will be some crowding if their baby teeth have not fallen out. This can result in crooked teeth coming in. braces can help fix this by keeping the teeth in place. If they lose teeth too early, then other teeth can move into the empty spaces, leading to alignment issues.
Misalignment of their jaw
If your child has an underbite, overbite, or even a crossbite, it might be a sign for them to get braces. Misalignment of the teeth can continue well into adulthood which is something that you want to avoid. When teeth do not line up properly, these issues can come up and lead to problems such as tongue or cheek biting. You should take your child to your local orthodontist to get this checked. This alignment issue can lead to a lack of proper cleaning of the teeth, leading to cavities and other issues.
Prolonged thumb sucking
We all know that thumb sucking is bad for your child and should be stopped at an early age. If this keeps continuing, chances are that your child’s front teeth will protrude outwards and will also cause some crowding near the bottom teeth. This habit should stop by the age of 2, but a lot of kids also continue this till the age of 4. If they keep doing this when their permanent teeth are coming in, it can be a reason for your child to get braces.
Mouth breathing
If your child has the habit of breathing through their mouth at night and having it open while they are sleeping, chances are that they will need braces. This affects the entire appearance of their face along with how their teeth grow, when their tongue is not able to sit near the roof of the mouth, it can lead to a narrow jaw with a longer face. This means that they will have less space for all of their permanent teeth to grow.
It is important to understand the signs of your child needing braces. You should take them to the dentist for a checkup in order to prevent misalignment of teeth.
