Preventive and Interceptive Orthodontics
"An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure"

This axiom may be applied to many facets of life... your house, your car, your health, and your teeth. A comprehensive oral hygiene program that includes good brushing and flossing, fluorides, and limiting frequent sugary or starchy snacks will help prevent cavities and periodontal disease.

Many orthodontic problems can be prevented, too. Here are some examples:

Space maintainer

  • early loss of teeth sometimes require a space maintainer appliance to hold the space open for the permanent tooth that is developing in the jaw
  • if a space maintainer isn't used, the space may close due to drift of other teeth into the space

Guided eruption

  • mild to moderate crowding may be alleviated or reduced without using braces when the front permanent teeth are erupting
  • this is done by creating more space for the teeth and allowing natural alignment to occur

Early extraction

  • removing baby teeth early can sometimes allow permanent teeth to align better
  • in addition, it is sometimes necessary to remove baby teeth early to prevent permanent teeth from erupting into locations reserved for other teeth

Cross-bite appliance

  • in the most common type of cross-bite, upper teeth will fit on the inside of lower teeth
  • if corrected early enough with an appliance, a jaw disharmony can be prevented

Thumb sucking

  • intense, prolonged thumb or finger sucking can have adverse affects on the teeth and the jaws
  • it may cause the upper front teeth to tip forward, and if the habit is bad enough, cause the upper jaw to move forward
  • stopping the habit in time is important to prevent a potentially serious overbite

Early straightening of permanent incisors

  • permanent front teeth may be straightened with localized braces at the ages of 8-10
  • sometimes this is necessary to correct a functional problem and/or to prevent a more serious problem at a later time
  • at other times, parents may desire that braces be placed early to improve the child's appearance
  • sometimes it is better to wait until all the permanent teeth are erupted

Functional jaw orthopedics

  • some children have a significant mismatch of the upper and lower jaws
  • orthopedic appliances can help align the jaws properly
  • these appliances can usually be inserted and removed by the patient

Headgear

  • although a headgear may be utilized for many purposes, one of the primary reasons a headgear is used is to correct the way the upper and lower molars fit together
  • it can also create additional space for permanent teeth alignment

Disking

  • disking is a procedure that creates extra space to improve alignment of permanent teeth without braces
  • it works best in children with mild to moderate crowding of the permanent incisors; in some cases, it can prevent braces

A Final Word...

There are many other examples of preventive and interceptive orthodontic strategies that are too numerous to mention here. However, it is important to remember three things when considering preventive/interceptive care:

  1. timing of preventive/interceptive treatment is critical
  2. a thorough knowledge of craniofacial growth and development is necessary
  3. the proposed treatment should be of benefit when the permanent teeth are erupted