Our Growth Guidance Program is for kids who will eventually need orthodontic treatment, but they’re just not quite ready yet. In this program, we’ll monitor your child’s dental development and their permanent teeth as they come in until the best time for braces placement. Sometimes, if Dr. Pristera removes your child’s baby teeth, it will help the permanent teeth come in and your child won’t have to be in braces as long. Dr. Pristera will always talk with your dentist about any recommendations we have regarding any dental treatment needed.
Dr. Pristera will examine your child’s mouth every three to six months to make sure that his or her baby teeth are coming out when they should, the permanent teeth emerge properly and have enough room to grow, and there are no additional bite-related issues. Because we feel so strongly about growth guidance, we do not charge for these visits or for x-rays taken during this time.
At the best time for your child, he or she will move from our Growth Guidance Program into our Early Treatment phase, which includes the option of Invisalign First. One big benefit of early treatment is that it can start fixing any major orthodontic problems or keep serious orthodontic problems from happening. Phase II, or teen treatment, will usually be needed since all of the permanent teeth don’t come in during early treatment. Phase II treatment completes the correction of teeth alignment, usually using braces or Invisalign  clear aligners. There are some cases where your kid may not need any orthodontic treatment after his or her early treatment.