When shouldn’t you?! We recommend your children get a braces check at 7-8 years old (a service we provide for free) – you know, just to make sure they’re not dentally retarded!
Things to Look For in Children over 7:
- Baby teeth ‘hanging on’ too long (i.e. 2 rows of teeth)
- Upper front teeth protruding – “Bugs Bunny”
- Riders – teeth bunched up in front
- Lower front teeth ahead of uppers – “bull dog bite”
- Spacing – like a sieve! (back teeth missing)
- Thumb or tongue sucking (after age 7)
- Cross bite – front or back
- Open bite – teeth not meeting at the front
- Deep bite – upper front teeth completely covering lowers
- Teeth missing
Mainly in adults (any age):
- All the above
- Teeth drifted out of alignment (gum disease)
- Spaces opening over time (back teeth missing)
- Teeth getting too long (over-erupting)
Signs you may have TMJ (jaw joint) problems:
- It hurts to chew
- It cracks to yawn
- Headaches
- Neuralgia
- Lock Jaw
- Clenching or grinding
- You find notes on your pillow at night asking for help and signed by your jaw joint
When you should NOT get braces:
- When your teeth are perfect
- When you already have braces (doubling up doesn’t help!)
- When you’re winning a Tooth Gap Contest
- When you’re an astronaut on the moon (the trip to our office is a bit too far)
To see how great your teeth could look, see our Before & After images.