Last Updated on August 10, 2026 by Dr. Adam Veit
Early Orthodontic Treatment for Children
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child have an orthodontic check by age seven. Most seven-year-olds do not need treatment. The point of the visit is to find the small number of problems that are far easier to correct while the jaws are still growing, and to say plainly when nothing needs doing yet.
If your dentist has mentioned crowding, or you have noticed your child’s bite looks unusual, an early exam is the sensible next step. It is not a commitment to braces. It is a specialist look at how the jaws and the adult teeth are developing, at the one age when that look is most useful.
We are firm believers in the medical model of prevention at Bright Orthodontics, and early treatment is where that belief does the most good. Dr. Adam Veit sees growing patients at all four of our offices.
What Is the Rule of 7 in Orthodontics?
The rule of 7 is shorthand for the AAO’s recommendation that children get their first orthodontic evaluation by age seven.
Seven is not an arbitrary number. By that age most children have a mix of baby and adult teeth, and the first adult molars and front incisors are usually in. That mixed set is the first point at which an orthodontist can see how the adult bite is going to assemble itself. Earlier than seven and there is not enough information. Much later and some of the easiest opportunities have passed.
Why the Timing Matters
Some orthodontic problems are far cheaper and simpler to fix while a child is growing, because growth can be guided. Once growth finishes, the same problem has to be solved by moving teeth alone, or in some cases with surgery.
A narrow upper jaw is the clearest example. In a growing child, an expander widens the palate gently over a few months. In an adult, the same correction is a much bigger undertaking.
Early evaluation also catches problems that get worse if left alone: teeth being blocked from erupting, a crossbite pushing the lower jaw off to one side, or front teeth sticking far enough forward to be at real risk in a playground fall.
Signs Your Child May Need an Orthodontic Look
- Losing baby teeth much earlier or later than their friends
- Difficulty chewing or biting food
- Breathing through the mouth rather than the nose
- Thumb or finger sucking that has continued past about age five
- Crowded, blocked or clearly misplaced teeth
- Jaws that pop or make noise when opening and closing
- Teeth that do not meet properly, or do not meet at all
- Jaws and teeth that look out of proportion with the rest of the face
- Crowded front teeth around age seven or eight
Our page on common orthodontic problems shows what these look like and explains what each one means.
What Phase One Treatment Involves
Phase One, also called interceptive treatment, usually happens between ages seven and ten, while most baby teeth are still present. Its goal is not a finished smile. Its goal is to take a difficult problem and make it a manageable one.
That might mean widening a narrow upper jaw, creating room for adult teeth that have nowhere to go, correcting a crossbite, or breaking a habit before it reshapes the bite. Treatment usually runs somewhere between four and twelve months, and it often uses a partial set of braces or a single appliance rather than full braces.
Children at this age are well suited to it. They adapt quickly, they generally cooperate, and their growth is still working in our favor.
Afterwards, we watch. Your child comes back periodically for a growth check while the remaining adult teeth arrive, and we decide together whether a second phase is needed.
Phase Two, and Whether You Will Need It
Phase Two begins once most of the adult teeth have come in, commonly around age twelve or thirteen. It is full braces on all the teeth, usually for around twelve months, and it settles the bite into its final position. Retainers follow, as they do after any course of treatment. See orthodontic retainers.
Most children who have Phase One also need Phase Two. That is not a failure of the first phase, and we say so at the start rather than letting it come as a surprise. Phase One removes the hard part of the problem. Phase Two does the detailed finishing that only works once the adult teeth are there.
Not Every Child Needs Early Treatment
This is the part we want parents to hear clearly. Only some children need anything done at seven. Many have problems that are better treated in one straightforward course of braces as a teenager, and starting early would mean a longer, more expensive road to the same result.
If that is your child, we will tell you so, and we will simply keep an eye on things. An early exam that ends in “come back in a year” is a good outcome, not a wasted trip.
Request an appointment at our Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Ripon or Berlin office and we will give you a straight answer either way. Fees, insurance and payment plans are explained on our orthodontic financing page.
Book an Age Seven Check
If your child is around seven, or their dentist has raised something, come and get it looked at properly.
Request an appointment at Bright Orthodontics in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Ripon or Berlin. To understand how braces work generally, start with our guide to about braces, and for older children see teen treatment.
Reviewed by Dr. Adam J. Veit, DDS, MS, a board-certified orthodontist and the treating doctor at all four Bright Orthodontics offices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Early orthodontic care often raises important questions for parents. Here are helpful answers to guide you.
Does an early orthodontic exam mean my child will start braces right away?
Usually not. Most children we see at seven need nothing yet, and we simply monitor their growth. Treatment starts early only when starting early genuinely changes the outcome.
Should we wait until all the baby teeth have fallen out?
For many children, yes, and that is exactly what we will recommend. But waiting is only the right call once someone has looked. The few problems that need early attention are hard to spot from the outside and easy to miss until the window has closed.
Can thumb sucking really change my child's bite?
It can, if it continues once the adult front teeth are coming in. Sustained sucking can tip the upper front teeth forward and narrow the upper jaw. Most children stop on their own, and for those who do not, we can help.
My child's teeth look straight. Is there anything to check?
Yes, because straight front teeth and a healthy bite are different things. Crossbites, deep bites and jaw position problems all occur behind a set of front teeth that look fine, and those are the ones early treatment is best at.