At what age should your child have their first orthodontic check-up?
“Isn’t my child still too young for this?” — that’s one of the questions parents ask us most often. The answer is almost always: better a year too early than a year too late. Because a check-up doesn’t automatically mean treatment. It simply means we won’t miss the right moment.
Our recommendation: annual check-ups from the age of 6
To find out whether your child needs orthodontic treatment, we recommend annual check-ups from the age of 6. That way we start treatment at the right time and can often prevent surgical procedures.
The reason for this age is simple: at around six — in other words, around the time children start school — the first permanent teeth come through. From this point on, it’s possible for the first time to properly assess how the teeth and jaws are developing in relation to each other — and whether a misalignment is on the way.
Our orthodontists actually go one step further. Dr. Wunderlich puts it like this: “I recommend having children examined by an orthodontist — ideally at the age of 5. Usually no treatment is needed, but if there are difficult growth problems, treatment can be started early.”
What happens if you miss the right moment?
Our practice has a clear answer to this, too. Dr. Wunderlich: “If you miss the right moment, in the worst case you’ll need more drastic — and correspondingly more costly — surgical measures to still be able to treat the misalignments in the mouth. I always advise parents to see an orthodontist sooner rather than later.”
In certain cases, we therefore start as early as the baby-tooth stage or the mixed dentition — that is, when the baby teeth are falling out and the permanent teeth are coming through. In this age group, the aim of treatment is usually to correct a jaw misalignment. If this isn’t done during this phase, the misalignment can often only be corrected surgically later on.
How parents can spot a misalignment
You don’t need to be an expert to notice that something’s not quite right. Three observations are a good reason to book a check-up:
- Visible misalignment: If your child’s teeth are noticeably crooked or overlapping, this is a clear sign that braces may be needed.
- Difficulty chewing or biting: If your child has difficulty chewing or biting, or feels pain in the jaw area, this should be examined by an orthodontist.
- Losing baby teeth: If baby teeth fall out too early or too late, this can be a sign of potential problems with the alignment of the permanent teeth.
Oral habits such as thumb-sucking or a dummy can also cause a jaw misalignment — causes like these should definitely be dealt with in childhood. A second point many parents aren’t aware of is breathing: it normally happens through the nose, which acts as a natural bacteria filter. If your child breathes mainly through the mouth, retraining the swallowing and breathing function is strongly advisable.
Early treatment doesn’t mean “long treatment”
In most cases, an early check-up ends with: everything’s fine, see you again in a year. But when we do treat, there are good reasons for it. In young children, we can use the natural growth of the jaw to correct misalignments. This can avoid more complex treatment later and shorten the overall treatment time. Early intervention is often less invasive and more effective than waiting until the teenage years or beyond.
We can use invisible aligners for children as early treatment for young patients aged between 6 and 10. In general, treatment during the baby-tooth and mixed-dentition stages takes between 12 and 18 months.
The next step
The first step towards a healthy smile is a detailed consultation with our experienced orthodontists. We look at your child’s teeth, clarify whether treatment is actually needed yet, and together find the best possible treatment option. Simply book your preferred appointment online — or read up beforehand on what braces cost at our practice.