What Is the Best Age to Have Orthodontic Treatment?

Hi, I’m Dr Mike Anderson from Allstar Orthodontics.

Last Saturday night, my wife and I caught up with some family friends. Lily, who lives just a few blocks from our clinic here in Fortitude Valley, said to me, “Hey Mike, we noticed Ethan, our seven year old son’s adult teeth are starting to come through, and a few are a bit crooked. When’s the best age to start orthodontic treatments for him?”

This is such a common question that many parents ask. So I decided to make this short video, just in case you were wondering.

Generally, you can bring your child to the orthodontist from age seven upwards. One of the important factors is once the permanent front teeth have erupted, then it would make sense to see the orthodontist. At that time, the orthodontist may start interceptive treatment, if it’s required then, or they just might monitor the teeth until more adult teeth come through.

Orthodontic treatment can be undertaken when there are still baby teeth present. It’s always better to get in a little bit earlier to get an assessment. And often the treatment success depends on taking advantage of any growth potential.

For adolescents, a couple of additional factors to take into consideration when it comes to straightening their teeth is they might be keen to have them done before the school formal or major exams in year 11 and 12.

Since we’re in the topic of age and orthodontic treatments, for adults, the good news is it can be provided for people over a wide range of ages. So there’s no stage of your life when you can’t have orthodontic treatment. It’s possible for everybody.

We even had patients in their seventies, so we’ve treated their grandchildren and then they’ve come to us to ask for treatment for themselves.

I hope you found this information useful. If you or your child are explaining orthodontics treatment, and you are based in Brisbane, we would love to look after you.

Simply call us on 07 3666 0096 or send us a DM on Instagram and Facebook. And we’ll be in touch to help you organise an orthodontic consultation. See you in the next video.