Children's Orthodontics Hoppers Crossing
Our dentists have been treating kids of all ages in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, and surrounding suburbs for years. One of the most common misconceptions we’ve noticed during these visits is that many parents believe their child must lose all their baby teeth before starting orthodontic treatment. This is not always true—children’s orthodontics can begin while baby teeth are still present.
What are Children's Orthodontics?
Children's orthodontics refers to early dental treatment aimed at guiding the proper growth and alignment of a child's teeth and jaws.
Children typically begin getting adult teeth as early as six years old. Unfortunately, these teeth don’t always come through in the correct position or angle. Sometimes, the jaw itself may become locked in an unusual position. If these issues aren’t corrected early, they can lead to abnormal growth that affects the child well into adulthood. Children's orthodontics focuses on addressing these problems as they arise—before they develop into more complex or costly issues.
Why Early Orthodontic Treatment Matters
Early Orthodontic Treatment aims to resolve issues early, before treatment can get more complex and costly. By using either one or several dental appliances, we can treat the root of your child's problem as soon as it occurs before any of the incorrect bites or crooked teeth can produce long-lasting effects.
The dental appliances that we use are easy to wear, can be removable or fixed into place, are low maintenance, and have simple instructions for children to follow easily. The choice of the appliance is dependent on your child’s case, and your dentist will help guide your family through the process.
Benefits of Early Intervention
Since most teenagers don’t receive their full set of adult teeth until around age 12 to 14, any misalignment that appears at age 6 could worsen over time. Waiting for all baby teeth to fall out could mean 6 to 8 years of lost opportunity and incorrect bite.
Other benefits of early orthodontic treatment include:
Increased chance of avoiding braces altogether
Reduced likelihood of invasive procedures like jaw surgery
Lower overall cost of orthodontic care
Easier, more efficient future treatment if needed
Improved self-esteem and appearance during key social years
Signs Your Child Might Need Early Treatment
There are several early indicators that your child may benefit from orthodontic evaluation, including:
Crooked teeth
Teeth that do not meet properly (misaligned bite)
Narrow or protruded jaws
Teeth locked into unusual positions
Difficulty chewing or biting
Speech difficulties
Persistent thumb sucking
If you notice any of these signs, it’s best to schedule a consultation rather than wait.
Case studies
Check out some of our previous cases which may help you decide if Children's Orthodontics is suitable for your child.
All 3 cases presented cost between $750 and $1,500. Actual costs are always dependant on your child's specific circumstances however, successful Early Orthodontic intervention may save you thousands of dollars in the long term.
Case study 1:
Below is an 8 year old girl who presented to us with a tooth that was locked out of position and severe crowding for both top and bottom jaw.
After being informed of the benefits of early treatment, the family was happy to start treatment as soon as possible and within a couple of months of nightly wear of a removable appliance, we were able to achieve excellent alignment.
She now has a beautiful smile and is on track to having no braces.
Case study 2:
Here we have a young boy, 8 years old whose parents asked if there was anything that could be done for his crooked teeth, his adult teeth simply had no space to come through.
It did not take long for our Dentists to transform his smile to below. Now he is walking around with a gorgeous grin and the family was grateful we managed to save them thousands of dollars.
Case study 3:
The below case is of a 7 year old boy who upon return for a regular Check up and Clean had one of his tooth grow inwards. Leaving it as is would have caused too much trauma to the front tooth and this may lead to death of the tooth, serious infection and tooth loss.
The family was unaware of the consequences until our Dentist pointed it out during the check up. Right after, we created a removable appliance which he could take in and out to eat, drink and play sports and within less than 8 weeks his tooth was unlocked and back to growing normally again.
Make a booking for Children's Orthodontics today!
At Aqua Smiles Dental, we love seeing and have many years of experience treating young children and not just in terms of regular Check up and Cleans or Fillings.
Our Dentists are trained to perform smile and function assessments for patients in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee and surrounds, and we can set your child up to have a set of healthy teeth and early beautiful smile.
Make a booking online or call us on 03 9748 7271 to see what we can do for you and your family.
