Children’s Orthodontics

Helping your child gain a beautiful straight smile can begin early…

At Smile Dynamics in East Wahroonga we believe a beautiful, healthy smile begins early. Children as young as 3 years of age are assessed for any myofunctional habits which may lead to dental and skeletal disruption, as these habits can cause the teeth to develop incorrectly. We have a comprehensive assessment plan that allows us to truly identify issues at the source rather than simply looking at the positioning of the teeth. For example we will first assess to ascertain/determine if the child has any myofunctional habits:

• Thumb and lip sucking
• Mouth breathing
• Dummies or pacifiers
• Tongue ties
• Forward and lateral tongue thrust
• Reverse swallow patterns

Once this assessment is complete Dr Chahoud will performa a upper airway assessment. It is critical to the healthy development of teeth and jaws that the nasal airway is functioning properly. A closer look at the following structures often involves a referral to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist if concerns are raised:

• Enlarged tonsils or adenoid tissue
• Nasal obstruction
• Underdeveloped upper jaw

Following on from this we monitor the orthopaedic development of your child by looking at the:

• Development of the size and shape of the jaws
• Facial proportions
• Position of the upper and lower jaws relative to each other

The final step of our comprehensive orthodontic analysis to ensure your child will have a stable, beautiful, full smile and face.This involves moving the teeth with braces into their final positions for optimal teeth placement and bite.

Orthodontic treatment is not only designed to create a perfectly straight smile, it also corrects alignment problems between the teeth, jaw, head and neck which may develop into other health complications later in life. Orthodontic treatment can also help prevent the abnormal or uneven wear of teeth caused by an irregular bite pattern.

Since a child’s teeth and facial bones are still in the developmental stage, they are much easier to guide into their optimal position. This often results in a reduced treatment time, expense and may also mean reduced time in fixed braces or they are not required at all. This is one of the main benefits of early orthodontic treatment.

Your child’s health is important to us and an orthodontic evaluation will be conducted early and monitored at every hygiene or examination visit at our Wahroonga dental practice.