Early Interceptive Treatment

When we think about people getting orthodontic treatment, we often think of kids in middle school and teens in high school. But sometimes, patients fall outside this age range. This is the case when interceptive treatment is needed.

Interceptive treatment is orthodontic care offered to children between the ages of 7 and 10 who present with severe orthodontic abnormalities that, if not treated early, are likely to require tooth extraction or surgery later in life.

Early screening makes interceptive treatment possible. By age 7, most children have their back molars in place, which makes it easy to evaluate long-term tooth and bite relationships. That is why we suggest most children be seen on or around their seventh birthday. In the vast majority of cases, all will be well and we will ask that you return in a few years. However, when it is best, we will suggest starting orthodontic treatment in the near future.