The American Association of Orthodontists and Dr. Joe Dietrich recommend an ortho exam by age seven. Some parents are surprised by this since many young children still have several baby teeth. Monitoring your child’s dental development helps us identify and correct dental issues before they worsen.
Taking a preventative approach to oral health gives children the best chance at a lifetime of beautiful smiles. That’s why we created the Dietrich Orthodontics Kids’ Club! If you have a child around age seven, keep reading to learn all about the Kids’ Club!
Intercept problems before they start
Some parents have concerns that an early orthodontic exam will automatically lead to treatment, but this is rarely the case. We recommend immediate treatment for only a small percentage of the young patients we evaluate in our Canton and Alliance offices.
The first step is a Complimentary New Patient exam with Dr. Dietrich. We will get our “baseline” for your child’s orthodontic care from there! We will tell you what we see that needs fixing, and then if nothing needs to be done now, the game plan is to monitor your child until treatment is necessary. Enter: The Dietrich Ortho Kids Club!
If nothing needs to be done yet, your next appointment will be in the Kids Club Room! It will be 8-12 months after your initial exam and will be a shortened version of a New Patient Exam. Dr. Dietrich will update your xrays and photos and take a peek at your mouth to see any new concerns or how your growth is continuing. Benefits include:
- monitor the progress of emerging permanent teeth
- monitor the progress of facial and jaw development
- reduce the need for jaw surgery later in life
- guide emerging teeth into the ideal positions
- detect hidden dental problems
- reduce the risk of impacted teeth
- reduce the risk of needing tooth extractions in the future
When your child joins the Kids’ Club, Dr. Dietrich can monitor yearly and identify and diagnose growth or development issues at an optimal age for better results. This method helps him create a treatment plan that starts at the best time with the best results.
Personalized care for kids
At Dietrich Orthodontics, we personalize every aspect of care, including your child’s Kids’ Club experience. Every smile is unique, and children develop differently, so we’ll get to know your child and their smile to give them the best treatment at the ideal time in their growth and development. And if they continue not to need treatment until the teenage years, we continue to see them every nine to 12 months to ensure all is well!
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to orthodontic treatment at any age. Being able to approach a child’s smile proactively instead of reactively puts us in a better position to give our young patients the care they need when it will benefit them most.
Examples of interceptive orthodontics
What if there is a problem or potential treatment identified in Kids Club? Well, then, Dr. Dietrich has found the ideal time to treat your child! And we head to the clinic and get early treatment started. Again, at your child’s correct time in their unique development.
At Dietrich Orthodontics, we follow the typical patterns of a child’s dental growth and development to treat issues at the most optimal time for your child. These dental growths and developments typically happen between the ages of 12 to 15 when the jaw and teeth are primarily developed.
Smile Confidently with Dietrich Orthodontics
Every child has a unique smile, so Dr. Dietrich customizes treatment around each patient’s needs. What works well for one child may not be a good fit for another, but our personalized care guarantees every patient receives precisely the right plan for their smile! To learn more about why early orthodontic treatment matters, get in touch and schedule a FREE consultation in Canton or Alliance.