The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that children should be evaluated by an orthodontist by age 7. Some of the common problems seen of that age are:

• Crowded Teeth: Teeth may appear crowded and growing in all directions and may not meet properly.
  
  
• Overbite: The upper teeth may protrude over the lower teeth front teeth.
  
  
• Underbite: The upper front teeth may sit inside the lower front teeth.
  

Children may have habits such as thumb sucking, lip biting or tongue thrusting that adversely affect the jaws or teeth.

If your child has one or more of the common problems above, please make a complimentary consultation appointment for an evaluation. Early diagnosis and treatment can often avoid more serious problems. Early intervention is not recommended for most children who are seen at Dr. Thariani's office.

Not all children start treatment immediately. Some children will simply need to wait and let Dr. T monitor their development (on recall). Others may need to begin an active Phase I treatment to solve problems best corrected at an early age such as:

• Expansion of upper jaw to allow more space for permanent teeth and/or to correct crossbites.
  
  
• Realignment and modification of upper and lower jaw growth to allow a better and more aesthetic bite.
  
  
• Construction of appliances to stop damaging habits.
  
  
• Placement of limited braces or appliances to remove crowding of front teeth or gain extra space.
  
  

By intervening early, parents may limit the time their children spend in braces during a second phase. Phase I treatments may last from 4 to 15 months. During the second phase of orthodontic treatment, Dr. Thariani will periodically monitor the child's skeletal and dental development. It may be several months or years before patients need a second phase of treatment.

The ultimate goal of early orthodontic intervention is to use the growth and cooperation of the patient to get a result that may be possible at a later date. If patients need an additional second phase of treatment, a successful first phase will solve many of the problems and make the second phase easy for the patient.