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Orthodontics for children
An early orthodontic check for children, and braces or plates while the jaws are still growing.
- Where
- First floor, Potta, on NH 544
Get directions - Open
- Every day, 10 am – 7 pm
- Who treats you
- Dr. Pavya Priya · KDC 28861
- Fees
- 1 fee range
See all fees
On this page
Orthodontics for children is about timing. Some problems are easier to guide while the jaws are still growing. Others are better left until all the adult teeth are in. At Kallada Smile, children are seen by Dr. Pavya Priya, an orthodontist.
What it is
A first orthodontic check at about age seven does not usually lead to treatment. It reads the bite while the jaws are still growing, and finds the few cases where waiting costs something.
Most children are simply watched. They come back every six to twelve months, and the adult teeth are checked as they arrive.
A smaller group is treated early. This is called interceptive treatment: a short first stage that guides jaw growth, makes room, holds a space, or stops a habit. It does not replace braces later, and Dr. Pavya says at the start whether a second stage is likely.
Signs you might need it
- Adult front teeth coming in crooked, or crowded against each other.
- Upper front teeth that stick out well beyond the lower ones.
- Lower teeth that bite in front of the upper teeth.
- Back teeth that bite inside the lower ones on one side, so the jaw shifts to close.
- A milk tooth lost early, with the neighbouring teeth drifting into the gap.
- An adult tooth that has not appeared long after the one on the other side.
- Thumb sucking or mouth breathing that continues after the adult front teeth arrive.
- Difficulty chewing, or a jaw that clicks.
Any of these is a reason for a look, not a reason to worry.
What happens at Kallada Smile
Consultation. Dr. Pavya examines the teeth, the bite and the way the jaws are growing, with the parent in the room. Children are told what will happen before anything is done.
Records, if they are needed. Photographs, impressions or a scan, and X-rays. X-rays are not taken at Kallada Smile: the clinic does not hold a radiation licence yet. Where one is needed you are given a written note and sent to a radiology centre in Chalakudy, about five minutes away by road, which charges you separately. The picture is read and explained at your appointment.
Plan and fee. You get a written plan: watch and review, or an early stage now with a likely second stage later. Each stage carries its own fee range. You decide.
Treatment, if it is due. The appliance is fitted and the child is shown how to wear and clean it. Short visits follow every 4 to 8 weeks.
Review. Once a stage is finished, the child goes back on review every 6 to 12 months until the adult teeth are all in.
Options
Watch and review. For many children under ten this is the whole plan. No appliance, no fee beyond the review visit.
A space maintainer. A small fixed appliance that holds the gap when a milk tooth is lost early. The adult tooth then has room to come through.
An expander. Widens a narrow upper jaw a little at a time while the jaw is still growing.
A growth appliance. Worn to guide an upper or lower jaw that is out of step with the other. Removable or fixed.
A habit appliance. Used only where thumb sucking continues and gentler measures have not worked.
Braces, later. A full course once the milk teeth have gone, usually around 11 to 13.
What can go wrong
The roots of the teeth being moved shorten a little in most cases, and in a small number enough to matter. Enamel around a bracket or a band can be left with a white mark where brushing slips, and in a child that is the commonest lasting harm of orthodontic treatment. An expander or a functional appliance is uncomfortable for the first days, and a child who does not wear a removable appliance simply does not get the result. An early stage of treatment does not always avoid a second stage later, and Dr. Pavya says at the start whether a second stage is likely and what each stage costs.
How long it takes and how many visits
An early stage usually runs 6 to 18 months, with a short visit every 4 to 8 weeks. Reviews between stages are every 6 to 12 months and take a few minutes.
A full course of braces afterwards takes its own 12 to 30 months. The two stages are quoted separately, and starting the first does not commit you to the second.
Dr. Pavya gives a likely range only after records, and will not promise a finishing age before then.
Looking after it afterwards
- Brush after meals. Appliances trap food, and decay under a fixed appliance is one of the commonest reasons a stage has to stop early.
- Removable appliances are worn for the hours Dr. Pavya sets out, and kept in their case at all other times.
- Keep hard and sticky food away from a fixed appliance: ice, chikki, hard murukku and sugarcane.
- Turn an expander key exactly as instructed, on the days instructed, and stop if it hurts. Message us instead.
- Aching for a day or two after a fitting or an adjustment is normal in children too.
- Keep the review appointments even when nothing seems to be happening. The point of the review is to catch the moment when something should.
Fees
- Children's interceptive treatment₹8,000 – ₹25,000
The final fee is confirmed after examination, in writing, before treatment starts. See all fees
Questions about orthodontics for children
Why is about seven the age for a first orthodontic check?
By about seven the first adult molars and the front teeth are usually in. The shape of the bite can be read for the first time. Nothing is normally started that early. The point is to find the few problems that are easier to guide while the jaws are still growing. A date is then set to look again.
Do braces have to wait until all the adult teeth are in?
Usually, yes. A full course of braces is normally fitted once the milk teeth have gone, around 11 to 13. A small number of children benefit from a short earlier stage that guides growth or makes room. Dr. Pavya says which group your child is in, and why.
What is an expander?
A fixed appliance that sits across the roof of the mouth. It widens the upper jaw a little at a time, usually with a small key turned at home. It is used when the upper jaw is narrow and the back teeth bite inside the lower ones. It works while the jaw is still growing, and not after that.
Does thumb sucking move a child's teeth?
It can, if it continues after the adult front teeth come in. The usual signs are upper front teeth that tip forward and front teeth that no longer meet. Most children stop on their own. Where the habit continues, Dr. Pavya discusses gentle ways to help, and an appliance only if those do not work.
Does early treatment mean braces twice?
Sometimes. An early stage guides growth or makes room; a second stage later lines the teeth up. Dr. Pavya tells you at the start whether a second stage is likely. She gives the fee range for each stage separately, so nothing is a surprise later.
Care for every smile
Ready when you are.
Tell us your name and what is bothering you. We reply with a time.