Early treatment · San Luis Obispo & Arroyo Grande
A first look around age seven, usually just a look.
The American Association of Orthodontists suggests a check at about seven. Most children who come in that early don’t need anything done yet. Knowing that is the point.
San Luis Obispo 805.544.3223 · Arroyo Grande 805.489.4625
The problem
Get a look at how your child is developing.
By seven, most children have enough permanent teeth in to show how the jaw is developing, and the parts that matter most are the parts you can’t see. A narrow upper jaw, a tooth coming in sideways, an extra tooth nobody knew about, a bite that’s shifting to one side.
Nothing about that is visible in the bathroom mirror. It’s visible on a scan.
Timing
Why the age matters more than the teeth do.
This has nothing to do with straightening a seven-year-old’s front teeth and everything to do with the jaw, which is still growing. While it’s growing, it can be widened. Once it’s finished, it can’t, and the way you make room after that is usually by removing permanent teeth.
We take out far fewer teeth than orthodontists used to, and early expansion is the main reason why.
What to expect.
Most often: nothing yet.
We take records, tell you what we’re watching, and see you again in a year or two. There’s no charge for those check visits before treatment starts.
Sometimes: an expander.
A small appliance that widens a narrow upper jaw over a few months while there’s still growth to work with.
Sometimes: a short first phase.
A limited course of braces on a few teeth to fix something that will get harder later, then a break, then the rest when the adult teeth are in.
Not: headgear.
Where a tooth needs something to push against we use small anchor screws.
What parents worry about
Real questions from real parents.
“Is this just so you can start treatment early and charge me twice?”
Nobody says it that directly, but plenty of people think it. The answer is that a first phase only makes sense when it prevents something, teeth being removed, a tooth being exposed surgically, a bite that gets harder to fix. If it doesn’t, we wait, and we’ll tell you we’re waiting.
“Will it hurt?”
Expanders feel odd for a few days and children adapt faster than their parents expect. We won’t tell you it’s painless.
“Will she remember any of this?”
Mostly she’ll remember the aquarium.
The orthodontist
He asks one question about every plan.
Dr. Brett Garrett is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, a voluntary certification most orthodontists don’t complete, where a panel of peers examines your finished cases. He also asks himself one question about every plan: “If this is my son, my daughter, how would I treat this case?” He has treated his own children.
- Board Certified Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics
- DMD, Nova Southeastern University
- MS Orthodontics, Loma Linda University
- BS Mechanical Engineering, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cost
One fee, quoted before you decide.
The whole fee comes at the consultation, in writing, before you decide anything, appointments, materials and appliances, most emergencies, and your child’s first retainers at the end. Monthly payments are interest-free, with a discount for paying in full at the start. We verify your insurance benefits, file the claims, and show you what your share is expected to be.
Proof.
“Diego, we always thought, ‘He’s a boy, his teeth are relatively straight.’ We didn’t really know, or we weren’t educated on how much better his smile could be.”
— Parent of two patients“They supported my softball team. They sponsored it.”
— Patient, age 10
Early-treatment FAQs.
My dentist said to bring her in at seven. Does that mean braces at seven?
Usually not. It means it’s time to look. Most children we see at that age don’t start anything.
What happens if we wait until she’s twelve?
Often nothing at all, plenty of treatment starts then and goes perfectly well. What waiting can cost you is the option to widen a jaw that’s still growing, which is frequently the difference between keeping and removing permanent teeth.
Do you charge for the check-ups while we wait?
No. Recall visits before treatment starts are included.
What’s an expander like?
It sits against the roof of the mouth and widens gradually. Odd for a few days, then forgotten. You’ll turn a key at home on a schedule we’ll show you.
Will she need braces later anyway?
Often yes, a first phase makes the second one shorter and simpler rather than replacing it. We’ll tell you which you’re looking at before you start.
