When Do Kids Need Braces?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The best guess is that 50 to 75 percent of kids need braces. But when and why? Not to mention, where do you start?
No worries. We have the answers right here.
Fourteen-year-old Christian has been waiting for this day for more than a year and a half.
It's the day his braces come off. But the transition to straight teeth and a great smile actually started much earier -- and with a plan.
"Yes, selective extractions. There was a process. And then the braces went on," said Penny Bursch-Johnson, Christian's mom.
Orthodondist Dr. Michelle Bergsrud showed us Christian's early X-rays, when baby teeth needed to be pulled to make room for eager adult teeth, four of which also had to go.
"And we could see there was just no way we were going to be able to get all the permanent teeth into his mouth," Bergsrud said, pointing to the X-ray.
Extreme crowding, deformities from thumb-sucking and narrow jaws should often be treated before all permanent teeth are in, which usually happens by the early teens.
Eight-year old Paige's big concern today? Getting Green Bay Packers colors on her braces for the NFL Playoffs.
Today, Paige is getting a partial brace put on her teeth. It's another reason children may need to see an orthodontist early, to correct a common condition called a crossbite.
"So this is an example of an anterior crossbite, where the upper tooth is behind the lower front tooth and our concern here is wear, on the front surface," Bergsrud said.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends the first visit before age 7.
"There's reason for that. At that point the six-year molars are in and the upper- and lower-front teeth," Bergsrud said.
