Everybody wins: Early Pediatric Treatment and the Importance of Airway

Early recognition and treatment of orthodontic and orthopedic issues is critical to the prevention of abnormal conditions and/or dental problems, which – if minimized or ignored – can persist (often disastrously, always expensively) into adulthood.

Consider the profound, continuing need for interceptive pediatric care -- especially in light of all we are discovering regarding the nature and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The message is clear: EVERYBODY benefits from it – often in potentially BIG ways.

Now compare the cost of early interceptive care to that of extensive orthodontics, surgeries, crowns and veneers, sleep therapy, and potentially psychiatric or behavioral care in later years (after the damage has been done).

Early interceptive care wins hands down.

The purpose of interceptive early orthodontics is to correct problems early so that you can allow the patient to achieve normal growth. Abnormal growth patterns can be triggered by something as simple as a tooth that erupts labially or lingually from its ideal position. This occlusal change is often enough to guide the mandible into an abnormal position creating either an anterior or posterior crossbite.

Fail to intercept and correct those problems and the result can lead to facial asymmetry, TMJ issues and worst of all, airway issues.