The Canadian Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic evaluation by the age of seven.

Early Interceptive Orthodontics

Younger patients can benefit from early interceptive orthodontic treatment, or in other words, treatment before all the permanent teeth erupt.

Research has shown that early treatment is a valuable service to select patients.  Early treatment in these situations may prevent the development of more severe orthodontic problems in adolescence by guiding tooth eruption, improving dental alignment, and harnessing jaw growth.  This in turn may allow for more a favourable overall treatment outcome.  Parents should be aware that children who undergo early orthodontic treatment may still need braces in adolescence, but the severity of the child's orthodontic needs will be reduced.

Early interceptive orthodontic treatment is achieved with braces, orthodontic appliances, or retainers. The treatment objectives are very specific to the problems-at-hand, and the treatment duration is usually limited to 8-12 months. Thereafter, the patients enter a monitoring phase to continually evaluate the timing and necessity for the completion of the overall comprehensive treatment.

However, the treatment of many patients can be effectively consolidated into a shorter period by commencing orthodontic care after the eruption of all permanent teeth.  The need for early interceptive orthodontic treatment will be determined by Dr. Chow after a careful examination of your child's dentition and growth pattern.  Rather than commencing an early treatment, many patients will be enrolled into our Pre-Orthodontic Guidance Program to continually monitor growth and development, as well as to guide the eruption of the underlying permanent teeth.  As such, we encourage all children to be seen for a complimentary initial orthodontic evaluation no later than the age of seven.

Adolescent Orthodontics

The majority of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment are adolescents.  We are proud to offer our teenage patients a choice of either clear ceramic braces or low-friction self-ligating SPEED™ metal braces.

Patients with suitable orthodontic needs can also be treated with the increasingly popular Invisalign Teen system.

Any orthodontic treatment requires the close cooperation of our patients.  Achieving our treatment goals is a joint effort between our team and our patients. Teens must do their part by showing up on time for their appointments, maintaining good oral hygiene habits, avoiding hard or sticky foods, wearing elastics or other removable appliances as instructed, and wearing retainers as per Dr. Chow's instructions.  By doing all of these things, it will ensure that your orthodontic experience is as fun and positive as possible.