Buffalo Orthodontists Providing Facial Growth Orthodontics for Children

If you notice that your children’s teeth require orthodontic work, you may be wondering how their facial growth is affecting their smile or airway development. At Orthodontists Associates of Western New York, we provide facial growth orthodontics to help move teeth into their proper position while also addressing issues affecting the development of the jaw. Many issues can arise from improper jaw development and the goal of facial growth orthodontics is to help address those issues early on before they become irreversible or require more invasive treatment options. Keep reading to learn how early orthodontic treatment can help correct facial growth and development issues.

What Guides Facial Growth in Children?

People often wonder whether genetics can impact facial growth or development as it relates to orthodontics. The simple answer is that different genetic components can play a role in our ability to treat patients. One such genetic factor is missing teeth. If parents are missing teeth, very often their children will be missing teeth. We want to know about those situations so that we can identify those problems on an x-ray. Facial growth can also be affected by extra teeth. Just like missing teeth, extra teeth can be identified on x-rays, and that’s a genetic component.

Another genetic component is the way jaws grow and develop. We sometimes see patients with an underbite – the most genetically-influenced bite that we see as orthodontists. In the case of an overbite, that, too, has a small genetic component. If a parent’s bite is misaligned, they can expect their children to have a situation like that, so they’ll want to see an orthodontist as soon as they identify that problem.

Another aspect of facial growth and development is the environment. This includes a number of environmental influences such as cheek pressure, tongue pressure, or individual habits. Anything from the outside affecting the bite is called an environmental aspect. Genetics and the environmental aspects both affect facial growth and development in children, and early orthodontic treatment can help.

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Can Early Orthodontic Treatment Correct Facial Growth Issues?

One of the big reasons we want to see kids at a young age is that we can really use their facial growth and development to their advantage. For instance, if we have a really big overjet – with the upper teeth in front of the lower teeth when viewed from the side – very often, we need the lower jaw to do some growing for us. Remaining facial growth can really help us to achieve that bite correction. It’s not going to happen by itself, however. What we often need to do is make the upper jaw the proper size and shape first, and then give that lower jaw the encouragement it needs to do some growing forward.

The other thing is that if you see a kid with an underbite at a young age, we know the lower jaw has the propensity to keep growing, so we need to use that growing time to our advantage and try to make the upper jaw fit forward where it belongs. You can use growth to your advantage. We use growth all day, every day in our practice to get bites to fit together better. That’s the huge reason that we want to see patients at an earlier age.

Schedule A Free Orthodontic Consultation Today!

If you are concerned about your child’s facial growth and development, we encourage you to schedule a free consultation with our dedicated orthodontists today. We offer free screenings and would love to help you get the answers you need to make an informed decision about your child’s health. Correcting an issue early on is a great way to save time, money, and prevent the need for more invasive treatment as your child grows older.

Orthodontists Associates of Western New York is proud to offer early orthodontic treatment throughout Buffalo, Lancaster, Olean, Hamburg, Orchard Park, and Dunkirk, New York.

At Orthodontists Associates of Western New York, our reputation as a leader in orthodontic care is based on one thing… Making a Healthy and Beautiful Smile

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