Orthodontics & Specialty Care
Interceptive Orthodontics in Jenkintown, PA
Treating while the jaws are still growing, so there is less to correct later.
Interceptive orthodontics is early treatment – carried out while a child still has a mix of baby and adult teeth, and while the jaws are still developing. The aim is not a finished result but a better starting point for whatever comes next.
Exceptional care for a lifetime of healthy smiles
The short answer
Early treatment at MVP Family Dental
Early-phase orthodontic treatment for children to guide jaw growth, correct developing bite problems, and reduce the need for complex treatment later.
There is a window in childhood when the jaws are still growing and adult teeth are still finding their positions. Some problems are far easier to influence during that window than after it closes, because growth can be worked with rather than worked against.
Interceptive treatment does not usually finish the job. It removes an obstacle – makes room, corrects a crossbite, stops a habit – so that later treatment is simpler, shorter, or in some cases unnecessary.
How it works
Watch first, then act
Most children who are assessed early are monitored rather than treated. Acting at the wrong moment is as unhelpful as not acting at all.
- Early assessmentThe bite, the arch width and which teeth are through are examined, usually alongside a routine visit.
- Imaging where usefulImages show whether the adult teeth are present, where they are sitting and what order they are due in.
- MonitoringMany findings are simply watched at subsequent visits, because the right moment to act has not arrived.
- Intervening at the right pointWhere treatment is indicated, it is timed to the stage of development rather than to a birthday.
What early treatment can influence
Things easier to change during growth
These are the situations where timing genuinely changes what is possible.
- A narrow upper archWidening is far more straightforward while the palate is still developing – see Orthodontic Expanders.
- CrossbitesA bite where upper and lower teeth meet the wrong way round can push growth off course if left.
- Space for adult teethWhere a baby tooth is lost early, the space it was holding can close before the adult tooth arrives.
- HabitsProlonged thumb sucking and mouth breathing affect how the jaws develop, and are easier to address young.
What treatment can involve
Appliances used during growth
Early treatment tends to use simple appliances aimed at one specific problem, rather than full fixed braces.
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Expanders
Widen a narrow upper arch while the palate is still developing. See the Orthodontic Expanders page.
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Space maintainers
Hold open the space left by a baby tooth lost early, so the adult tooth below has somewhere to come through.
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Partial braces
Brackets on a limited number of teeth to correct one specific problem rather than aligning the whole arch.
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Habit appliances
Discourage thumb sucking or tongue posture where these are affecting how the jaws are developing.
When to have a child assessed
Earlier than treatment
Assessment and treatment are different things. Having a child looked at early does not commit them to anything – it establishes whether there is something that benefits from timing, and if there is not, that is a useful answer too.
The common guidance is a first orthodontic assessment around age seven, when the first adult molars and incisors are usually through and the shape of the developing bite becomes readable.
- Around age sevenThe usual point at which a developing bite becomes readable.
- Most are monitoredAssessment far more often leads to watching than to treating.
- A first phaseWhere treatment happens, it usually simplifies later work rather than replacing it.
Worth mentioning
- Thumb sucking, dummy use or persistent mouth breathing.
- Difficulty biting or chewing, or a jaw that shifts to one side to close.
- Baby teeth lost early, whether through decay or a knock.
- A family history of crowding, extractions or jaw discrepancies.
What comes next
A first phase, not the last word
After an interceptive phase, most children are monitored while the rest of the adult teeth arrive. Whether a second phase is needed becomes clear at that point, and it is a decision made then rather than assumed now.
Where an appliance was used, retention often follows the same logic as it does in adult orthodontics – the correction is held while everything around it settles.
Timing is the whole advantage. Growth is a tool you only get to use once.
MVP Family Dental · Jenkintown, PA
Interceptive Orthodontics Questions
- What is interceptive orthodontics?
- Early orthodontic treatment carried out while a child still has a mix of baby and adult teeth and the jaws are still growing, aimed at making later treatment simpler or unnecessary.
- At what age should my child be assessed?
- Commonly around age seven, when the first adult molars and incisors are usually through and the developing bite can be read.
- Does an early assessment mean early treatment?
- No. Most children who are assessed early are monitored rather than treated. The assessment establishes whether timing matters in their case.
- Will my child still need braces later?
- Often yes, but a shorter or simpler course. Interceptive treatment removes an obstacle rather than finishing the alignment.
- What appliances are used?
- Typically expanders, space maintainers, partial braces or habit appliances – simple appliances aimed at one specific problem.
- Why not just wait until all the adult teeth are in?
- Some problems – a narrow upper arch, a crossbite, lost space – are far easier to influence while the jaws are still growing. After growth, the options narrow.
- Does early treatment hurt?
- Appliances commonly feel tight or odd for a short period after fitting or adjustment. Tell us if anything is sharp or persistently sore.
- How do I arrange an assessment?
- Mention it at your child’s next routine visit at our Jenkintown office, or contact us to book one.
Dr. Vineetha Thomas, D.M.D.
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Dr. Priya Mathew, D.M.D.
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