Problems & Treatments > Early Interceptive Treatment
Early Interceptive Treatment

The goals of first phase interceptive treatment are:

• To develop both the upper and lower jaws sufficiently to accommodate all of the permanent teeth.
  
  
• To correctly relate the upper and lower jaws to each other. Children sometimes exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper or lower jaw that is growing too much or not enough, or is too wide, too narrow or crooked can be recognized at an early age. If children over four years of age have these jaw discrepancies, they are usually candidates for early orthodontic/orthopedic evaluation and treatment.
  
  Because children are growing rapidly, they can benefit enormously from an early (interceptive) phase of orthodontic/orthopedic treatment. Orthodontic appliances can be used to correct the jaw shape and direct the growth toward an ideal relationship between the upper and lower jaws. A good foundation can be established thereby providing adequate room for eruption of all the permanent teeth.

Early interceptive treatment can prevent:

• The later removal of permanent teeth to correct overcrowding.
• Surgical procedures to align the upper and lower jaws.

Interceptive treatment can also decrease the time necessary for the second phase of treatment. Leaving a malocclusion untreated until all of the permanent teeth erupt could result in a jaw discrepancy too sever to allow achievement of an ideal result with braces alone.

Advantages of two-phase orthodontic treatment:

The two-phase orthodontic/orthopedic treatment is a very specialized process that encompasses jaw and facial changes (orthopedics) and tooth straightening (orthodontics).

The emphasis today an living longer, staying healthy, and looking attractive requires optimum treatment results. The major advantage of two-phase treatment is to maximize the opportunity to accomplish the ideal healthy, functional, aesthetic, and comfortable result that will remain stable.

The disadvantage of waiting for complete eruption of the permanent teeth and having only one phase of treatment is the possibility of a compromised result that may not be functionally healthy or stable and may require preventable adult tooth extractions or jaw surgery.