Early Signs of Orthodontic Problems

If you’re wondering if you or your child might need orthodontic treatment, there are some things you can keep an eye out for. Some of the most common warning signs of orthodontic problems are:

• Difficulty when chewing or biting
• Chronic mouth-breathing
• Sucking the thumbs, fingers, or any other oral sucking habits that continue after the age of six.
• Overbite - when the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth by more than 5 millimeters.
• Crowded, crooked, overlapped, misshapen, misplaced teeth or extra teeth.
• Crossbite - when one or more teeth tilt toward the cheek or toward the tongue causing excessive stress on the jawbone.
• The center of the top and bottom teeth don't line up.
• Pain in jaws
• Clicking in the jaw points.
• The jaw shifts off-center while chewing or biting.
• A jaw that protrudes, or recedes, too much.
• Difficulty speaking or enunciating clearly.
• Grinding or clenching of the teeth.

If you or your child are showing signs of one or more of these problems, give Orthodontics South a call at (205) 664-4140 or visit us online. Many of these orthodontic issues are easier to treat if they are caught at a young age so don't wait any longer, come see Dr. Boggan today!