Jacksonville 904-268-7557
Did you know the American Association of Orthodontists recommends your child be seen for their first observation check appointment by the age of 7? At OSSI Orthodontics these appointments are free of charge and allows us to monitor your child’s oral growth and development to ensure he/she gets started with orthodontic treatment at the perfect time.
WHAT IS AN OBSERVATION CHECK APPOINTMENT?
An observation check appointment doesn’t mean your child is ready to get started with braces. In fact, at OSSI Orthodontics, we rarely start children with braces until all of their baby teeth are gone! We strive to make sure our patients only have to wear braces once, and observation check appointments help us stay on top of changes occurring in a child’s mouth.
When bringing your child into our office for one of these visits, it will be a very relaxed setting and quick evaluation by our Orthodontist. At this time we will answer any questions or concerns you may have, as well as develop a relationship with your child months or even years before getting started with treatment.
WHAT IS THE DOCTOR LOOKING FOR AT THIS ORTHODONTIC VISIT?
There are a variety of things our doctor will be looking for when seeing your child at their annual growth check appointments. These include:
- Under bites
- Excessive Spacing
- Cross bites
- Missing Teeth: A panoramic x-ray will allow us to see if there are any missing teeth that will not be coming in.
- Functional Shift: When the jaw shifts to one side as the teeth come together
- Extra Teeth
- Crowding: When teeth are overlapping
- Impacted Teeth: When a tooth fails to erupt from the gums
The conditions listed above are commonly seen in orthodontics and do not necessarily mean your child will need to get started with braces right away. Cross bites are one of the few problems that would require early intervention and a phase 1 of orthodontic treatment.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT MY CHILD’S OBSERVATION CHECK APPOINTMENT
Typically at an observation check appointment you can expect Dr. Ossi to take a quick look in your child’s mouth. He will usually count the baby teeth that are left and monitor any new issues that have come up. If the child is ready for treatment then you will be taken into a separate exam room where Dr. Ossi will give you an update on your child’s growth. A treatment coordinator will also meet with you and walk you through the next steps in starting treatment. If you are ready to proceed, we can gather the diagnostic records the same day. This would include: photos, x-rays, and digital 3D scans of your child’s teeth.
If your child is not quite ready for treatment yet, Dr. Ossi will give you an update as to where they are at growth wise. We will then schedule a follow up appointment.