It’s important to know that there are no physiological differences in the teeth of autistic kids. This means that your child’s teeth aren’t different from any other child’s teeth just because they’re autistic. Autistic kids experience the same dental issues as any other kid, but may be more prone to certain ones than their non-autistic peers. Reasons for this may include mouth sensitivity, poor oral hygiene, and difficulty accessing quality dental care.
Here are some common reasons an autistic child may need to see an orthodontist:
Malocclusion (crowding and bite alignment issues). Overbites, underbites, “open” overbites, crooked teeth, crowded teeth, and gapped teeth are all examples of malocclusion. Autistic kids are more prone to malocclusion than their non-autistic peers. We’re not exactly sure why this happens. Autistic kids tend to have more sensitive mouths than neurotypical kids. This makes it hard to get the preventive care they need to stop malocclusions from happening. Malocclusions can make it hard to get teeth clean, leading to more cavities. Malocclusions can contribute to speech difficulties and cause problems in the way your child’s mouth functions.
Delayed or early expulsion (permanent teeth coming in late or early). Neurodivergent kids sometimes have permanent teeth that come in too early or baby teeth that fall out too late, which can cause a lot of pain. Early expulsion can lead to crowded teeth (teeth overlapping with each other). It’s not exactly clear why neurodivergent kids struggle with this, or if they have more expulsion problems than non-autistic kids. The field of orthodontics doesn’t have much research about treating autistic patients.
You can read more in our guide on orthodontics.