Early orthodontic treatment

When should my child visit an orthodontist?

The Australian Society of Orthodontists (ASO) recommends children visit an orthodontist between the ages of six and eight. During this time, Dr Moate can examine your child’s smile to catch orthodontic issues early - reducing the amount of treatment they may need later.

Even if we identify an issue at your child’s early consultation, that doesn’t mean we need to start treatment right away. If we can monitor the issue, we’ll be able to address it when the time is right.

Early treatment options

At Beachside Orthodontics, we offer a variety of early or ‘Phase One’ treatment options. These treatments help guide the growth of your child’s jaw and dental arch, to ensure their smile is set up for success. Phase One treatments include:

• Invisalign® First: This is an Invisalign® treatment created just for children ages 6-10. The aligners are designed to help make room for your child’s current and incoming teeth. These removable and comfortable aligners are an excellent gateway to orthodontics.
• RME (Rapid Maxillary Expander): This device gently widens the space in your child’s upper jaw. By turning a screw in the centre of the device, pressure is placed on the two halves of the upper jaw to expand them.
• Carriere® appliance: This is a smooth clear appliance that can fix misalignments in your child’s back teeth and reduce the time they will need to spend in braces or aligners.
• Holding arches: These thin metal arches for the lower or upper jaw help maintain space for your child’s incoming teeth.
• Twin Block: This appliance is made of two blocks that help correct overbites. The Twin Block can be removed for eating.
• PFM (Protraction Face Mask): This mask is worn at night for a period of 8 to 12 hours. It is designed to apply forward and downward traction on the upper jaw. It is used along with the fixed RME (Rapid Maxillary Expander).
• Partial braces: Your child doesn’t need all their adult teeth to start with braces. We can get them started with a partial set of braces to help align their smile.

*Invisalign® aligners are a registered medical device, you should always read and follow the label as well as the instructions of your treating orthodontist.