As experts in early interventional treatment (from age 7 to 11), we know this is the ideal time to steer the development of teeth or jaws to avoid future problems, such as tooth crowding, prominent upper teeth (unprotected by the lips) and under-developed jaws.

We encourage the referral of children at the age of six to eight years, so that any abnormal tooth and jaw development can be detected early and treatment planned for the optimal time.

Early treatment, when appropriate, can usually be carried out at an age when there is less schooling and social demands on the child, often making this an ideal time to be treated. All too often, problems of a child’s teeth and jaws are left untreated until adolescence, when all baby teeth are lost.

This makes treatment much more complex than it needs to be and may result in lengthy treatment, sometimes requiring the extraction of adult teeth and perhaps even surgery to give the desired results.