Our in house specialist orthodontist assesses and treats all ages requiring
At Forest Lake Dental, we pride ourselves on providing complete dental care for your entire family. One of our many important roles is to care for and educate children on the importance of good oral health.
We recommend that your child attend regular checkup appointments every six-twelve months to enable us to monitor your child’s oral health and detect any abnormalities in their early stages. Early intervention allows us to prescribe the best treatment to prevent a small problem from becoming a large one.
You may like to bring your child to visit us at an early age. This will help to familiarise them with our practice, meet our team and generally help them to see that coming to the dentist is a fun experience.
Benefits of Early Treatment
Depending on your child’s personal needs, treatment may take 12 months or more, and designed to:
• Improve profile, speech and self-esteem
• Reduce or eliminate the need to remove healthy permanent teeth
• Create a beautiful broad smile by developing the arches
• Eliminate tooth grinding (bruxism) during sleep
• Prevent headaches and ear aches caused by tooth and jaw misalignment
Orthodontic treatment will often involve two phases, with the first commencing after their first adult teeth have erupted around age 6, and the second after all their adult teeth have come through, around 11 – 13 years old. Between phases, your child need to wear a fixed or removable appliance, such as a retainer to help stabilise their early treatment.
Fixed Braces
Although removable aligners are more popular, they will often be used in conjunction with fixed braces. Today, braces are much smaller, finer and more comfortable than their bulkier predecessors. Fixed braces have brackets and bands bonded to the teeth. A flexible wire joins all the brackets and allows the teeth to be moved.
Careful evaluation of your personal situation will enable the orthodontists to tailor a treatment plan. We will carefully explain in detail the different stages, what to expect during the course of your treatment and the planned outcome.
Treatment type and time can vary depending on the severity of the problem. On average, treatment can take one to three years. A short time to achieve a healthy and straight smile for life.
Oral Health and Orthodontic Treatment
When having orthodontic treatment, brushing and flossing is more important than ever before. Thorough brushing and flossing, especially if wearing fixed braces, will prevent plaque and tartar build-up around the brackets and keep gums healthy and breath fresh.
The Forest Lake Dental orthodontists can demonstrate effective brushing and flossing techniques and demonstrate to your child how to correctly use a floss threader.
To discover the many benefits orthodontic treatment can offer your child, schedule an assessment appointment with one of the friendly Forest Lake Dental team.
Children’s Orthodontics
Every parent wants to see a big broad smile on their child’s face. At Forest Lake Dental we are dedicated to making your child’s smile straight and healthy. A healthy straight smile will enhance your child’s confidence as well as help them keep their natural teeth for life.
Dr Laura Barbagallo -Visiting Orthodontist
BDSc Hons (UQ); MDSc Hons (Orth) (Sydney);
MOrth RCSEd
Orthodontic treatment can improve your child’s profile and correct jaw and facial muscle misalignment, which can contribute to future oral and general health problems.
Children’s orthodontic braces have changed significantly from the heavy, obtrusive and bulky metal braces many adults had and remember. Today treatment options are more comfortable with the brackets and arch wires being much finer.
Orthodontic problems can develop rapidly in children as their teeth and facial bones grow quickly. At Forest Lake Dental, we recommend your child’s first assessment appointment is around age 6 after their first adult molar teeth come through. At this age, we can check for any sign of irregularities and advise on the possibility of your child requiring corrective treatment.
At this age, treatment is designed to guide developing teeth and facial bones into their optimal position plus ensure there is enough space in the jaw for adult teeth and prevent crowding. Treatment may vary from monitoring your child’s development through to the application of fixed or removable braces or retainers.
Early assessment and intervention can reduce or sometimes even eliminate the need for fixed braces by the time your child reaches the all important high school years.