Following in our preventative philosophy, our office believes in correcting functional or skeletal issues early to prevent future more serious orthodontic treatment including extractions of adult teeth and surgery of the jaw or facial structures.

 

Some children do not have severe enough imbalances to need Phase I orthodontic treatment, while others do. Phase I orthodontic treatment usually begins around the ages of six to eight years old. An upper jaw that is growing too narrow or too ahead of the lower jaw can be seen even at this early age. If left untreated, the child’s face will grow in this unwanted pattern and will be more difficult to correct as a mature teenager or adult.

 

The benefit of phase I treatment is that most phase II treatments will be shortened and be more predictable, so the image-conscious teenager does not have to be in braces for a long time. Phase I treatment often involves a palatal expander, myofunctional therapy to retrain the tongue to swallow properly and braces to align the front teeth in a better position.

 

The treatment usually lasts between nine and twelve months. Following treatment we provide retainers and or any myofunctional appliances as long as they are necessary.