My 5 year old son had his teeth examined and the dentist referred him to an orthodontist because he has the opposite of an overbite and his top teeth are wearing down his bottom teeth. Dentist states jaw may be growing faster then top. What should I expect? Any advise? Should I be seriously concerned?

ANSWER:

My advise is to go see the orthodontist. It sounds like your son’s lower jaw is larger or growing faster than his upper jaw. Ideally in these cases the orthodontist will start the braces at an early age so that they can help direct the growth of the facial bones. This will help your son avoid the possibility of facial surgery in the future to correct his bite. If started early enough (and five is plenty early in fact the orthodontist may decide it is to young) the orthodontist can put pressure on the upper jaw to help it catch up with the lower jaw. If you wait until you son is older his facial bones may not have enough growth left for the orthodontist to be able to accomplish this equalizing of the jaws. I would expect at you first visit with the orthodontist they will simply do an exam, maybe an x-ray or two and discuss with you your options. I would not be overly concerned at this point but I would go see the orthodontist and get their opinion.

Hope this helps,

Nick DeTure DMD
AskaDentist.com

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