First Phase Treatment: The foundation for a lifetime of beautiful teeth.
The goal of Early or Phase I treatment is to develop the jaw size in order to accommodate all the permanent teeth and to relate the upper and lower jaws to each other. Children occasionally exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper and lower jaw that is growing too much or not enough can be recognized at an early age. Dr. Bocage can help detect if a children is found to have this jaw discrepancy. If that is the case, they are candidates for early orthodontic treatment.
Planning now can save smiles later.
Because they are growing rapidly, children can benefit enormously from an early phase of orthodontic treatment utilizing appliances that direct the growth relationship of the upper and lower jaws. Thus, a good foundation can be established that provides adequate room for eruption of all permanent teeth. This early correction may prevent later removal of permanent teeth to correct overcrowding and/or surgical procedures to align the upper and lower jaws. Leaving such a condition untreated until all permanent teeth erupt could result in a jaw discrepancy that is too severe to achieve an ideal result with braces alone.
Making records to determine each unique treatment.
Orthodontic records will be necessary to determine the type of appliances to be used, the duration of treatment time, and the frequency of visits. Records might consist of models of the teeth, X-rays, and photographs. During your child’s initial consultation, Dr. Bocage and her team will take the necessary records to determine if early treatment is necessary.
Resting Period.
In this phase, the remaining permanent teeth are allowed to erupt. A successful first phase will have created room for teeth to find an eruption path. Otherwise, the teeth may become impacted or severely displaced.
Monitoring a patient’s progress.
At the end of the first phase of treatment, teeth are not in their final positions (which will be determined and accomplished in the second phase of treatment). Selective removal of certain primary (baby) teeth may be in the best interest of enhancing the eruption of permanent teeth during this resting phase. Therefore, periodic recall appointments for observation by Dr. Bocage are necessary, usually on a six to eight month interval. Let us know if you have any questions, you can email us at [email protected] or call us at KB Smiles (305)361-8695
