Interceptive Function Orthodontics

Reduce the risk of extensive orthodontic work and oral surgery down the track by guiding the development of your child’s smile and facial structure with interceptive functional orthodontics

At our Sydney dental practice, we recommend that children have an assessment of their dento-facial development when they are seven to nine years of age. This allows our Beecroft based dental professionals to identify potential development issues that can be corrected in their early stages to prevent extensive complications later in life.

When your jawbone stops growing can depend on a number of factors, for example: the jaws of females stop growing around the age of 17, whereas males may not stop growing until they are 21. Having your child’s dento-facial development assessed when they are between seven and nine is the optimal time because their jaw is still developing.

Undergoing interceptive functional orthodontic treatment at this time can make for a quicker and less painful recovery time. This is possible because the jaw is still developing: when you get orthodontic work later in life—say, as an adult—your jaw has finished developing and so it takes longer to adjust your jaw and teeth into their optimal position.

Interceptive functional orthodontic treatment is generally more successful, less invasive and less expensive than alternative treatments available during adolescence or adulthood.

Orthodontic treatment, while effective, can be expensive and certainly lengthy. With interceptive functional orthodontic treatment you can help prevent the need for orthodontic work, such as braces, and look after your child’s dento-facial development and their overall health today.

Some common dento-facial issues that interceptive functional orthodontics can address include:

• Breathing difficulties and upper airway issues – Mouth breathing is bad for your oral and overall health. Learning to breathe through your nose is better for your teeth and your jaw.  Mouth-breathing has also been linked to bed wetting and being more susceptible to illness.
• Narrow jaws and a misaligned bite – If left untreated narrow jaws and a misaligned bite can cause problems such as headaches, neck and back pain, as well as earaches.
• Potential overcrowding of adult teeth – If not attended to early, overcrowding could take years of orthodontic work to rectify.
• Early signs of impacted adult teeth – The only way to treat impacted teeth is through extraction—early detection of impacted teeth can save you a lot of pain.
• Genetic abnormalities such as missing adult teeth

This treatment can help guide the proper development of your child’s facial structure and overall health, and help avoid tooth extractions, lengthy orthodontic treatment and oral surgery later in life.