Early Detection & Advanced Care
If you’re eager to see your child receive the most effective orthodontic care, two-phase treatment can help. This treatment strategy focuses on detecting alignment and jaw issues early on, before your child’s permanent teeth have grown in.
Dr. Adams relies on early intervention, which can reduce the cost and complexity of future treatment.
Benefits of Two-Phase Treatment
Two-phase treatment allows us to detect and treat many issues before they become a major concern. Some of the benefits of two-phase treatment include:
- Reducing the likelihood that permanent teeth will be extracted
- Preventing the need for oral surgery
- Normalizing the positions of the upper and lower jaw, especially for an underbite
- Early treatment for cases of abnormal swallowing
- Helping ensure permanent teeth grow in properly
- Protecting teeth that could be at risk of being knocked out
The Treatment Process
Though the process is called two-phase, there are actually three parts to this treatment — Phase One, Resting Period, and Phase Two.
Phase One
Phase One of the treatment occurs before all your child’s permanent teeth have grown in. This helps your child’s jaw develop in a way that will better accommodate their permanent teeth when they do erupt.
Phase One is designed to make sure there’s enough room for teeth to grow in, so crowding won’t become an issue. That means fewer teeth will need to be extracted in the future. In some cases, children will need to have baby teeth removed to clear a path for permanent teeth.
Another goal of Phase One is to improve the way the upper and lower jaws fit together. An upper jaw that’s growing too much or is too narrow can be recognized at an early age.
Resting Period
Phase One will help your child’s teeth grow in properly. During the Resting Period, your child’s teeth are left alone to develop naturally.
Though Phase One seeks to create room for adult teeth and address early jaw issues, the teeth won’t be in their final position until the second phase of treatment. During the Resting Period, Dr. Adams will observe your child’s progress every six months.
Phase Two
The second phase of treatment begins after all permanent teeth have erupted. This phase involves full upper and lower braces to move your child’s teeth to their proper alignment, ensuring they function together properly.
Orthodontic records from the first phase are used to steer the treatment plan. Phase Two consists of braces for an average of 24 months and retainers to keep their teeth in place afterward.
A Beautiful Smile for Your Kids in Back Mountain
Two-phase treatment addresses issues early before they become permanent or more difficult to fix. Dr. Adams will provide a clear diagnosis and treatment plan for your child, and that can make their time wearing braces a lot easier.
To learn more about two-phase treatment, feel free to call our office at (570) 675-1138. You can also fill out the easy contact form on this page and we’ll get right back to you.