Assessment from around age seven, when a small, well-timed intervention can prevent a much larger problem later.
Reviewed by Dr Sanjana Sudarshan
Published August 2021
Last reviewed February 2026
Early intervention is not about putting braces on small children. It is about looking at how the jaw and the adult teeth are developing, at an age where a small, well-timed intervention can prevent a much larger problem later, and knowing when to do nothing.
Most children who are assessed early need no treatment at all. The value of the assessment is in the minority who do, because for them the window closes.
Around age seven is the usual recommendation. By then enough adult teeth have arrived to show how the bite is developing, while the jaw is still growing fast enough to be influenced. That combination is what makes this age useful.
Waiting until every adult tooth is through means waiting until growth has slowed, and some corrections that would have been straightforward at eight become difficult at fifteen and occasionally need surgery at twenty. Not every problem needs early treatment, but the ones that do are far cheaper and far gentler to fix now.
Crossbites, where the upper and lower teeth meet the wrong way round, can cause the jaw to grow asymmetrically if left. Correcting them while the palate is still expandable is straightforward.
Severe crowding, where there is visibly not enough room for the adult teeth arriving. Early management can create space and sometimes avoid extractions later.
Protruding front teeth, which are considerably more likely to be broken in a playground accident. That is a practical argument, not a cosmetic one.
Thumb-sucking and dummy effects on the developing bite, which are easier to address while the habit is recent and the bone still adaptable.
Impacted or missing teeth, where knowing early gives options that disappear later.
Jaw discrepancies, where the upper and lower jaws are growing at different rates and growth can be guided.
Treatment at this age is usually simpler than full braces, and typically runs six to 18 months. It may involve an expander to widen a narrow upper jaw, a partial brace on a few teeth, a functional appliance to guide jaw growth, or space maintenance where a baby tooth has been lost early. Often the right answer is monitoring: seeing your child periodically and doing nothing until the timing is right.
Where early treatment is carried out, a second phase in the teenage years is often still needed. That is not a failure or an upsell, it is how two-phase treatment works: the first phase fixes what only growth can fix, and the second aligns the teeth once they are all through.
A child’s first experience of dental treatment shapes how they feel about it for decades, and we take that seriously. Appointments are unhurried, everything is explained in terms your child understands before it happens, and nothing is done that they have not been shown first. Parents are welcome throughout.
If your child is anxious, tell us before the appointment rather than on the day, and we will plan accordingly.
A bite that develops correctly is easier to clean, wears evenly and is less likely to cause jaw problems in adult life. Teeth that are guided into position while the jaw is growing tend to stay there more readily than teeth moved into place later. And a child who is not self-conscious about their teeth at eleven is a different child at fifteen.
We will also tell you plainly when your child needs nothing, or when the right answer is to see them again in a year. An assessment that concludes in no treatment is a good outcome, not a wasted appointment.
Dr Sanjana Sudarshan, who is on the GDC specialist list in orthodontics, assesses and plans treatment, supported by Mrs Farah Anad, our orthodontic therapist. Growth-related treatment is where specialist training matters most, because the decisions are about timing as much as technique, and the window does not reopen.
Our early orthodontic intervention team
Meet the team who will look after you.
Specialist Orthodontist
Sanjana is a specialist orthodontist passionate about crafting beautiful smiles, from Invisalign and ceramic braces to complex multi-disciplinary cases, with a comprehensive, holistic approach to treatment planning.
Orthodontic Therapist
Farah Anad is our orthodontic therapist. In her current practice, she has thoroughly immersed herself in the Invisalign system as well as traditional and lingual braces. Since gaining her diploma in Orthodontic Therapy from King’s College London in 2015, she has dedicated the past decade…
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Costs
Child consultations for under 14s are £150. Treatment costs depend on the appliance and are confirmed in writing.
Any treatment your child needs is quoted in writing after the consultation, before anything starts.
Common questions about early orthodontic intervention, answered clearly and honestly.
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38 Queen Anne Street, Marylebone, London W1G 8HZ. A short walk from Bond Street and Oxford Circus.
Book an assessment. Most children need nothing, and the ones who do are far easier to treat now than later.
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