As a parent, you may be wondering when it’s time for your child to undergo orthodontic treatment. If you’ve noticed they have crowding, an overbite, or another issue, you may be tempted to bring them in to our office and ask our team to put on braces right away.

The truth is that there are some orthodontists in the area that are putting braces on every 2nd through 5th grader that steps foot into their practice. These orthodontists charge about $2,000, use up orthodontic insurance benefits, and provide children with very little benefits. While they may straighten their front teeth, orthodontic treatment for children of this age range doesn’t do much more.

Rather than encouraging 2nd through 5th graders to wait until they are older to undergo orthodontic treatment so they can enjoy meaningful, dramatic results, they try to make more money off them and lock them into their practice. While we strongly suggest children going to a general family dentist or pediatric dentist, metal braces at a young age are not the best choice.

Here at Sims Orthodontics, we don’t believe in this technique. Therefore, we offer a complimentary observation program, which allows Dr. Sims to evaluate a 2nd through 5th grader’s mouth and determine whether they can truly benefit from early treatment. In most cases, he doesn’t recommend early treatment and waits until the child has severe social issues or knows it’s functional.

Schedule a Complimentary Observation at Sims Orthodontics

If you have a child in 2nd through 5th grade, we encourage you to call our office at 850-477-7715 to schedule a complimentary observation. We’ll be honest with you and inform you whether early treatment is worth the time and money.