Early orthodontic treatment, also known as interceptive orthodontic treatment or two-phase orthodontic treatment, is when children begin treatment while they’re still growing and have most of their primary teeth. The goal is to direct a child’s growth and development in order to fix or prevent certain kinds of malocclusions (problems with the size, position or spacing of the teeth or jaws), so that treatment is easier down the road. In cases like a severe underbite or overbite, for example, when the face and jaw are fully developed, it’s much harder to manipulate them and get dramatic results and waiting until adulthood could mean needing surgery. With early orthodontic treatment, we’re intercepting and correcting the issue before it has a chance to become a full blown problem.

There is a general belief that children should only begin orthodontic treatment between the ages of 12 to 14 years, when all the permanent teeth have erupted. Correction of crowding at this stage is limited to only mechanical forces and as such, adult teeth could require extractions to make room for the lack of space in the mouth. With interceptive orthodontics, treatment can start as early as 6 to 10 years of age. Also, interceptive treatment itself doesn’t necessarily involve braces; instead, it can employ a number of other techniques, ranging from removable appliances (plates) to special devices and behavioural/ habitual modification. Later on, comprehensive orthodontics (phase 2) may not be needed or if so, at reduced time span. Extraction of teeth or expansion of jaws may also be needed in Phase 2 orthodontics .

Numerous studies have shown that in most cases, crowding in children are due to harmful oral habits which ultimately cause poor bone or skeletal development. This could be due to bad tongue posture, incompetent lip seal or mouth breathing. Interceptive orthodontics, aims to develop the face and jaw correctly by creating more room for the adult teeth to grow into. Aside from correcting crowded teeth, Interceptive Orthodontics also help in improving the child’s facial appearance. Malocclusions occur due to a tooth or jaw misalignment. It affects the way a child chews, smiles, cleans his teeth or even how he feels about his smile.