Dr. John Volz

In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute,  Dr. John Volz, an orthodontist at Mayo Clinic, explains treatment for cleft lip and cleft palate. To [...]

Listen: Mayo Clinic Radio 7/28/18 On the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast, Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic, discusses shingles and [...]

Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. will develop shingles in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and [...]

Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. will develop shingles in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and [...]

Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. will develop shingles in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and [...]

ESTIMADA MAYO CLINIC: ¿Cuál es la mejor edad para llevar a mi hija de 9 años a una cita de ortodoncia? Algunos de sus amigos ya tienen frenos dentales, pero me parece prematuro porque solamente han perdido pocos dientes RESPUESTA: A pesar de que muchas personas asocian a los frenos dentales con la adolescencia, no es prematuro llevar a un niño de 9 años a que un ortodoncista le evalúe los dientes. De hecho, la Asociación Americana de Ortodoncia recomienda que todos los niños se sometan al primer examen de ortodoncia hacia los 7 años de edad. Dicho examen es necesario porque permite obtener valores basales de los dientes y mandíbulas del niño, así como detectar cualquier problema en sus primeras etapas. El propósito de la ortodoncia es prevenir, diagnosticar y tratar cualquier irregularidad dental o facial. El término técnico para esos problemas es “maloclusión”, que significa “mala mordida”. Hacia los 7 años, la mayoría de niños ya tiene varios dientes permanentes en la mandíbula superior y en la inferior. Una vez que los dientes permanentes empiezan a salir, el ortodoncista puede evaluar el desarrollo de la mordida en el niño y ver si hay áreas preocupantes.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What age is best for my 9-year-old daughter to be seen by an orthodontist? Some of her friends already have braces, but this seems very early to me, since she’s only lost a few teeth. ANSWER: Although many people associate braces with the teenage years, 9 years old is not too young to have a child’s teeth evaluated by an orthodontist. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontics recommends that all children have an initial examination with an orthodontist by the time they are 7. That exam is necessary because it provides a baseline assessment of a child’s teeth and jaws and can help catch problems in their early stages. The purpose of orthodontics is to prevent, diagnose and treat dental and facial irregularities. The technical term for these problems is “malocclusion,” which means “bad bite.” By age 7, most children have had several permanent teeth come into both the upper and lower jaws. Once those permanent teeth start coming in, an orthodontist can evaluate a child’s developing bite to see if there are any areas of concern. A variety of conditions can affect children’s teeth and jaws at this age. In an initial evaluation, an orthodontist looks for teeth erupting out of their normal position, as well as missing teeth or extra teeth. Early loss of baby teeth or delayed eruption of permanent teeth may be identified at this time, too.