Santa Clarita Orthodontist: How Young Is Too Young For Orthodontic Care?

Posted by: KHTS Newsroom in Health And Beauty, Santa Clarita Latest News September 1, 2017 - 10:00 am 0 887 Views

Santa Clarita orthodontist Dr. Megan LeCornu of Gilbertson and LeCornu Orthodontics is answering a common question from parents: When should a child see an orthodontist?

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The American Association of Orthodontics recommends children first visit an orthodontist at the age of seven, according to LeCornu.

“At that time, there’s some teeth coming into the mouth, and sometimes those teeth can go off track,” she explained. “So really the orthodontist is looking at patients at that age to see if they need to do anything to prevent things from going wrong.”

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The Santa Clarita orthodontist noted treatment could be as simple as wiggling a baby tooth out a little early in an effort to prevent single tooth crossbite and impacted canines in the future.

“Usually there’s some kind of issue, like maybe too much crowding or even things like if the patient’s jaws are not fitting together properly,” LeCornu said. “Things like crossbites we actually like to try to correct before the age of 10 if possible, and that’s because the upper jaw is most easily adaptable before the age of 10.”

Early treatment for crossbite typically involves the use of an expander to make the upper jaw bigger so it fits properly with the bottom jaw, and in severe cases, braces and headgear are used as well.

“When we do that we eliminate things like asymmetries from developing, we eliminate premature wear on the teeth — there’s a lot of benefits,” LeCornu said.

However, the treatment philosophy of Gilbertson and LeCornu Orthodontics is that the best treatment is the least amount of treatment for an ideal result, LeCornu added.

“Ideally we want to not do any treatment until all the permanent teeth are in,” she said, “but sometimes we do have to intervene, and it can help prevent things like jaw surgery in the future, it can help prevent impacted teeth. So that is why we like to screen at an early age.”

Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Community Spotlight based on a recent radio interview with Gilbertson and LeCornu Orthodontics.

Dr. Steven Gilbertson and Dr. Megan LeCornu have a solid reputation in the community as the premiere Santa Clarita orthodontists for children, teenagers and adults using Invisalign and traditional braces. Together, they strive to provide orthodontic excellence and five-star customer service in a friendly, caring environment that makes each patient feel like a member of their family. Each a trusted orthodontist, Santa Clarita residents have voted Gilbertson and LeCornu Orthodontics “best orthodontist” for eight years.

Gilbertson and LeCornu Orthodontics

23206 Lyons Avenue, Suite 206

Santa Clarita, CA 91321

(661) 259-2388