What is the Best Age to Have Orthodontic Treatment?

Hi there, I’m Simon Deall from Central Coast Orthodontics and today I wanted to share a few points about what age is the best age to undergo orthodontic treatment.

As an orthodontist, the first questions I’m usually asked by parents is when should I bring my child to see an orthodontist, and what is the best age to start treatment.

The answer is that in fact, there is no best age for treatment because the ideal time depends on the particular bite problem that’s present. Some bite problems are best treated early before all the baby teeth fall out, some bite problems are best treated during the early teenage years when there is rapid growth, and other bite problems are best treated later after most growth is completed.

Treatment can still be done outside of the ideal age, but it might be more complicated or take longer than it otherwise would have. If your child does require some early treatment, it usually needs to be followed with another course of treatment when all the adult teeth erupt.

So if there’s no strong need for early treatment, it is often more time-efficient and cost-effective for you to have a single phase of orthodontic treatment when all the permanent teeth have erupted. So its recommended seeing an orthodontist by around 9 or 10 years of age to rule out the need for early treatment and to determine the ideal age for treatment for your child’s bite. If it looks like no treatment is required, then that’s what we’ll recommend, Dr King and I both have children and so we’re conscious not to burden your child with any treatment at a young age unless there’s going to be a significant benefit.

Adults can also undergo orthodontic treatment and whether you’re in your 20’s or your 70’s there’s no such thing as being too old to straighten your teeth. In fact, the demand for treatment by adults has increased significantly now that there are more subtle ways to straighten your teeth with clear aligners such as Invisalign or the option of clear porcelain braces. You might be surprised that around a quarter of our patients are adults, so orthodontics is definitely not just for kids and teenagers.

Thanks for watching, I hope you found this video useful. And if you or your child need some orthodontics treatment, we would love to look after you. Simply give us a call, complete the enquiry form on the website, or send us a direct message on social media, and we will help you organise your appointment. See you in the next video!

Disclaimer: Individual results vary. Assessment required to determine suitability for clear aligners.

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