Interceptive orthodontics

Early interceptive orthodontic treatment can be used effectively to reduce the severity of a developing malocclusion or even eliminate it. As a result, any future comprehensive orthodontic treatment can be simpler or might not be needed at all.

It is documented by the literature that some orthodontic problems diagnosed as early as the primary or mixed dentition stages can be improved or even fully corrected using simple methods.

Some of the goals of interceptive orthodontic treatment to name few include:

• maintaining the spaces within the dental arches in order to avoid the development of crowding in an attempt to reduce the need for future extraction of permanent teeth
• creating the conditions to favor normal canine eruption and prevention of their impaction
• eliminating habits (thumb sucking, swallowing with tongue thrust)
• controlling the exacerbation of a developing dental malocclusion
• controlling a skeletal malocclusion with dentofacial orthopedics
• preventing trauma of excessively protruding upper anterior teeth
• contributing to the psychological well-being of the child.

Space maintenance

Space maintenance is indicated in cases of early loss of primary teeth and in cases of mild crowding to avoid future orthodontic treatment with extraction of permanent teeth. The type and orthodontic appliances used for treatment depend on where the problem is located and the stage of dental development.

Interceptive measures to prevent canine impaction

The upper maxillary canines are the most frequently impacted teeth. This is because their dental sperm is located very high in the maxilla and their path to reach the mouth is long. Any abnormal direction of eruption can be diagnosed in the mixed dentition stage.

Several interceptive orthodontic methods and early orthodontic interventions can be delivered to:

• improve space situations within the dental arch
• ameliorate canine position within the jaw bone
• prevent or reduce the future burden of surgical exposure of the impacted canine and its traction to the correct position with extensive and complex orthodontic procedures
• favor their spontaneous eruption in 70-100% of the cases.

With the orthodontic clinical assessment of your child and the relevant radiographs, we can recommend and deliver, if this is deemed necessary, the most indicated method to prevent any future canine impactions.

Control and management of habits

Most children engage in habits such as pacifier use, thumb sucking and swallowing with tongue thrust.

If these habits are controlled and terminated while the child is still in the primary dentition, their effects are either minimal or inexistent; however, if these continue during the mixed dentition stage, the development of a malocclusion is evident.

The malocclusions develop due to the pressure exerted by the thumb to the upper and lower front teeth as well as by the imbalance of the negative pressure exerted by the cheeks and the tongue during the sucking motion.

The results are that:

• the upper incisors are pressed forwards, procline and their eruption is restricted
• the lower incisors are pressed backwards and retrocline
• increased overjet (horizontal distance between the incisors) is established
• anterior open bite (vertical gap between the anterior teeth) is created
• the growth of the upper jaw is restricted in the transversal dimension
• posterior cross-bites develop
• the overall jaw and face growth deviate towards abnormal directions.

The orthodontic appliances that are used in such situations aim to prevent the resting of the thumb in the mouth and guide the tongue into its ideal position, which is at the roof of the mouth and not between the upper and lower front teeth.

Additionally, psychological counseling with empowerment and support results in the successful integration of orthodontics with techniques from other scientific fields such as psychology, coaching and speech therapy.