As a dental hygienist I have conversations frequently with parents who think it is strange that they see kids in 2nd and 3rd grade with braces. Often times parents assume that the parents of those children are unnecessarily spending extra money and paying for the orthodontists kids to go to college (seriously, 9 out of 10 conversations I have on this topic include a comment similar to this- honestly I would probably think the same thing if this wasn't my field of expertise.)
I recently had my daughter in for an evaluation because I know she will need orthodontic intervention early on. I might as well be fully transparent and let you that I will not be writing any books on parenting in the near future. Despite knowing what a finger sucking habit can result in as far as jaw and facial formation...I still let my daughter suck her finger, and she just recently kicked the habit, for the second time. She was a crabby baby and I stand by this decision and will happily take the hit to my hygiene ego because we are all still alive.
Seven years of finger sucking has caused her arch to be very narrow which causes the teeth to crowd if they can come in at all, due to lack of space. A narrow arch also causes changes to your facial profile, the way your tongue rests which in turn effects the airway and long term can lead to TMJ and neck problems.
There are five orthodontic offices closer to my home but instead I drive past all of them to see Dr. Reynolds. The reason I am willing to spend extra time and gas money is because NOT ALL ORTHODONTISTS are the same. They all have different educational backgrounds and treatment philosophies. This is one area of life that faster and cheaper should not be your deciding factor.
I have seen WAAAAY too many adults who are paying the price now for bad orthodontic work during their childhood.
If you are wondering what my professional opinion is regarding ideal orthodontic treatment, Dr. Reynolds wrote a book on it so I'll let him explain. You can purchase the book on Amazon or you can call and schedule a consult with his team.
My daughter will need an expander, we plan to start treatment later this year when her 1st molars are in the right position.
Stay tuned for our next update...