Interceptive orthodontics aims to prevent the occurrence of problems that would be difficult to treat later. It also enables you to be more conservative (avoid extractions and surgical treatment) and to shorten the time braces need to be worn for.

Interceptive orthodontics starts at around 7 years of age and generally lasts for 9 to 12 months. It is followed by a treatment break of a few years before standard treatment is started at around 9 to 14 years of age.

There are 13 interceptive treatment indications:

1. Anterior crossbite (risk of excessive growth of the lower jaw, dental wearing and gum recession).

2. Posterior crossbite (risk of asymmetric jaw growth and asymmetric wearing of the teeth).

3. Major dental movement (unattractive, increased risk of caries and gingivitis).

4. Incisor protrusion (risk of incisor trauma).

5. Impacted canine (risk of lateral incisor resorption).

6. Deep overbite (repeated gum trauma).

7. More than 3 mm between the upper incisors (prevents eruption of the canines).

8. Adult molar blocked underneath a milk molar (risk of caries and risk of premature loss of the milk tooth which maintains the space needed for the permanent tooth to fill).

9. Dental agenesis (decision to extract the milk tooth or to maintain it in the arch depending on the occlusion and the skeletal structure).

10. Presence of an extra tooth (its extraction enables normal development of the tooth/teeth which it is preventing from erupting).

11. Ankylosed milk tooth (its extraction when the permanent tooth is mature enough to come through enables the dentition to development normally).

12. Sucking (thumb or other fingers) (stopping when the permanent teeth come through enables spontaneous correction of the gap and the distortion of the dental arch).

13. Premature loss of the milk teeth (a space maintainer may be necessary in order to maintain the space needed for the permanent teeth or to avoid the appearance of asymmetry when a milk tooth is lost on one side but not on the other).

1. Using space maintainers just before the child loses his/her milk molars enables you to gain a bit of space in the arches to align the malpositioned teeth or to correct existing gaps between the upper and lower jaws. In fact, milk molars are larger than the underlying permanent teeth.

2. Enlarging the arches also enables you to create space.

3. Using braces to move back teeth back generates more place in the arches.

4. Using braces to move the lower teeth and jaw forward and to move the upper teeth and jaw back enables you to correct gaps between the two jaws.

Used in combination therefore, these braces enable us to avoid most dental extractions.

These methods are only effective at certain stages of the child’s development. This is why it is important to see your orthodontist at around age 7 so that he/she can monitor the child and start treatment at the right time.

In general, the right time is when there are still one or two milk teeth at the back (end of mixed dentition at around 9 to 13 years of age).