Bite Down Early is a program that allows you to evaluate a child’s teeth alignment and make a preliminary assessment of potential problems.

Early orthodontic treatment can help minimize the need for more extensive treatment at a later date, such as extraction of permanent teeth. Early treatment may also help a child’s self-esteem – a fragile asset that’s so important in growing up.

Call one of our offices for a Bite Down Early Ruler which is designed to help you detect excessive protrusion of the upper front teeth.

When to seek earlier treatment
There are also some behaviors indicative of bite problems that can occur much earlier than age seven. They need an orthodontic exam as soon as possible:

• difficulty chewing
• open-mouth breathing
• thumb or finger sucking
• overlapping or crowding of erupting permanent teeth
• jaws that click or pop
• obvious abnormal bite development of any kind

This page has been adapted from the leaflet produced by the California Association of Orthodontists.

Do the upper teeth protrude?

Is there a deep bite?

Is there an underbite?

Is there an open bite?

How is the spacing between the teeth? Crowded or overlapped...

...or noticeably large gaps beteeen teeth?

Do the midlines line up?