You do not need a referral from your dentist to see an orthodontist!
Children:
The American Association of Orthodontics recommends bringing your child to see an orthodontist for the first time around the age of 7. This is because many dental problems, like crowding and discrepancies in jaw growth, can first be detected around this time.
Sometimes you or your dentist may think that your child should wait until all his or her permanent teeth erupt to see us for an evaluation. This is not the case! Most of the time, we still delay the start of treatment until all the permanent teeth have erupted to minimize the total time in treatment. However, occasionally all the permanent teeth aren’t going to erupt on their own because there isn’t enough space, a tooth is missing, or some other anomaly has occurred. In addition, if your child’s teeth are just taking their time to erupt, we may miss a critical growth spurt that would have allowed us to make positive changes to their bite with orthodontic intervention.
Adults:
If you are an adult and are interested in getting braces or Invisalign to straighten your teeth and/or fix your bite, you don’t need a referral either! However, if you do not have a general dentist you see for regular cleanings, we will give you a list of recommendations and ask that you get established with someone before starting treatment with us to ensure your mouth is healthy. We don’t want to start orthodontic treatment if you have cavities or active gum disease.
Summary:
In conclusion, if you are interested in orthodontics for you or a family member, give us a call!!
You can reach out via phone/text at 704-782-5146, or send us a message on TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram @bestorthonc. We look forward to meeting you soon!
- Dr. Best