Through early intervention, we focus on working with children’s natural growth processes to intercept problematic conditions before they progress to a severe state.
This allows us to use the least invasive treatment approach with the least discomfort for your little one, and create a healthy smile in the shortest time possible.
Conditions that are left untreated into adulthood, or even into the teen years, can lead to further conditions and challenges, and require invasive methods (like jaw surgery) and extended treatment lengths to correct.Â
When you bring your child in for an orthodontic screening before or at age 7, Dr. Battle (your pediatric orthodontist with over 20 years of experience), is able to treat these conditions while the jaws are still developing, instead of treating them after the bones have developed and stabilized.Â
This efficient approach allows us to reduce treatment length, minimize discomfort, and prevent vital challenges.
By guiding the jaws and teeth into alignment in a more natural and efficient way, we can prevent significant challenges in your child’s life, including:
Airway issues are often caused by a restricted airway, due to a narrow jaw width. This narrow passageway strains the airway and hinders air flow, which can cause difficulty breathing, mouth-breathing that leads to receding chin, snoring, sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, TMJ disorder, and even behavioral issues.Â
Not every child needs orthodontics, but those who do will benefit for a lifetime.Â
To ensure the least invasive treatment route with the least discomfort for your child, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)
ecommends that children have their first orthodontic screening by age 7—or sooner if concerns are noticed.
At this stage, Dr. Battle can evaluate jaw growth, bite development, and emerging alignment issues while they’re still easier to guide.
Not every child will need treatment right away. If your child isn’t ready for treatment yet, they’ll get to join our Kids Club! Through regular check-ins, we’ll continue to monitor their growth and make sure treatment begins at the ideal time for the best possible results.
Children’s mouths may be small, but their orthodontic issues are complex!Â
Many conditions are caused by space issues in the width of the jaws – whether there’s not enough room in the jaws for all teeth to emerge without crowding, overlapping or impacting each other, or too much space in the jaw, which leads to spaced or gapped teeth.
Through preemptive orthodontics, we can address spacing issues right away, guiding the jaw bones to grow to the proper width, before they potentially cause a bite misalignment (overbite/underbite) and require more extensive treatment.
This may include an orthodontic appliance, like the palatal expander, to prepare the jaw bones for a beautiful set of permanent teeth to emerge, followed by braces or clear aligners to align the teeth.
Parents, we know you want what’s best for your child! We do too. We are your experienced children’s orthodontist in Oviedo, Winter Springs and Waterford Lakes, here to help guide your little one’s smile into a beautiful, balanced, healthy smile that lasts for a lifetime.Â
Schedule your child’s first orthodontic screening with our pediatric orthodontist in Orlando. Your little one’s screening is complimentary with Dr. Battle and our team at Premiere Orthodontics!
Get started at one of our conveniently-located orthodontist offices in Oviedo/Winter Springs or Waterford Lakes.