Guiding Healthy Growth. Supporting Confident Smiles.
A child’s smile is only one part of the bigger picture. The way the jaws and facial structures grow can influence tooth alignment, bite development, breathing, and overall facial balance.
At Farrow Orthodontics, Dr. Farrow evaluates how your child’s teeth, jaws, and facial structures are developing to determine whether early treatment may be beneficial. When appropriate, facial growth treatment can help guide development while your child is still growing and create a stronger foundation for their future smile.
What Is Facial Growth Treatment?
Looking Beyond the Teeth
Facial growth treatment focuses on the relationship between the teeth, jaws, and surrounding facial structures as a child develops. Rather than simply waiting for all permanent teeth to erupt, Dr. Farrow can evaluate growth patterns early and determine whether there is an opportunity to guide development.
Depending on your child’s needs, treatment may involve orthodontic appliances designed to create space, improve jaw relationships, or support healthier development. Every recommendation is based on your child’s individual growth pattern, bite, and orthodontic needs.
When Can Early Treatment Help?
The Right Timing Can Make a Difference
Certain orthodontic concerns are easier to address while a child is actively growing. An early evaluation allows Dr. Farrow to identify developing issues and determine whether treatment now or continued monitoring would provide the greatest long-term benefit.
Facial growth treatment may be considered for concerns such as:
- Narrow dental arches
- Significant crowding
- Crossbites
- Overbites or underbites
- Uneven jaw development
- Limited space for permanent teeth
- Teeth erupting in unfavorable positions
- Certain oral habits affecting development
Not every child needs early treatment. In many cases, Dr. Farrow may simply recommend monitoring growth until the timing is right.
How Facial Growth Treatment Works
Using Growth to Our Advantage
Children’s jaws and facial structures continue to change as they grow. When treatment is needed, this period of development can provide an opportunity to guide the teeth and jaws in ways that may become more difficult later.
Dr. Farrow may use a customized orthodontic appliance or other early treatment approach based on your child’s specific needs. Throughout treatment, she closely monitors growth and development to make sure care continues to support a healthy, balanced result.
The Benefits of Early Guidance
Creating a Better Foundation for the Future
When facial growth treatment is appropriate, the goal is to support healthy development and give permanent teeth the best possible environment as they come in.
Early treatment may help:
- Create additional room for permanent teeth
- Improve developing bite relationships
- Guide jaw growth and dental development
- Correct certain crossbites
- Reduce severe crowding
- Address harmful oral habits
- Improve overall dental and facial balance
- Simplify future orthodontic treatment in some cases
The goal is never to start treatment earlier than necessary. It is to recognize when early guidance could make a meaningful difference.
Why Age 7 Matters
An Important Time to Check Growth
Around age 7, children typically have a mix of baby and permanent teeth, giving an orthodontist a valuable look at how the smile and bite are developing.
An early orthodontic evaluation allows Dr. Farrow to identify concerns that may not be obvious yet and establish a baseline for future growth. If treatment is not needed, your child can simply be monitored as their smile develops.
Starting early does not always mean treating early. It means knowing when the right time for treatment arrives.
A Personalized Approach to Growing Smiles
Every child grows differently, which is why facial growth treatment should never follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
As a board-certified orthodontist, Dr. Farrow evaluates the entire smile, including the teeth, bite, jaws, and facial development, before recommending care. Whether your child benefits from treatment now or simply needs to be monitored, you’ll have a clear plan for what comes next.
Give Their Smile Room to Grow
If you have questions about your child’s bite, jaw development, or growing smile, an orthodontic evaluation is the best place to start.
Meet with Dr. Farrow to learn how your child is developing and whether facial growth treatment could help create a healthier foundation for the future.
