Most children never need an orthodontic referral, and those who do are usually identified at a routine dental check-up rather than by a parent noticing something. A general dental practice monitors how the jaws and adult teeth are developing at every visit and refers when there is a functional or developmental reason — a crossbite, a tooth erupting into the wrong place, missing adult teeth, or crowding severe enough to affect function. Berala Dental is a general dental practice with no orthodontist on site, and does not provide braces or aligners.
If you would like your child's bite and development reviewed at their next check-up, mention it when you book.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp
What is an orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dental specialist who has completed a dental degree and then several additional years of full-time postgraduate training in orthodontics, and who holds specialist registration with the Dental Board of Australia through AHPRA.
Orthodontist is a protected title under the National Law. It can only be used by practitioners who hold that specialist registration, which is a legal restriction rather than a matter of custom.
Their work is the diagnosis and correction of the position of teeth and the relationship between the upper and lower jaws — with fixed appliances, removable appliances, functional appliances, aligners, and in some cases in coordination with a surgeon. There are cases that only an orthodontist should be managing, and complex growth-related problems in children are firmly among them.
Does Berala Dental provide orthodontic treatment?
No, and it is worth stating plainly. Berala Dental is a general dental practice. There is no orthodontist on site, and the practice does not provide braces, plates or clear aligners.
What it does provide for a growing child is the general dental care around it: examinations, X-rays, cleans, fluoride, fissure sealants, fillings, monitoring of how the adult teeth are arriving, and referral to an orthodontist where treatment is indicated. Once orthodontic treatment is under way, the practice looks after the gum health and cleaning that runs alongside it — which matters more during fixed braces than at any other time, as covered in braces and your gums.
At what age is a child usually assessed?
Development is watched from the first visit onwards, but the assessment becomes more informative from around age seven or eight.
By that point the first adult molars and the adult front teeth have generally arrived, which is enough to see how the bite is establishing, whether the arches have room, and whether the jaws are growing in proportion to each other.
Seeing a problem early does not necessarily mean treating it early. Some things are best corrected while a child is still growing; others are better left until most of the adult teeth are through. Timing is part of the orthodontic judgement, which is precisely why the referral is made to someone who does it full time.
Not sure whether what you are seeing is worth raising? It is — no question is a bad question.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp
When does referral genuinely happen?
These are developmental and functional reasons, not appearance ones.
A crossbite
Upper teeth biting inside the lower ones, either at the front or on one side. A crossbite can push the lower jaw to shift sideways to find a comfortable bite, and that pattern is generally better addressed while the child is still growing.
An impacted or ectopic tooth
An adult tooth that is not erupting, or is heading in visibly the wrong direction. Upper canines are the classic example, and they are one of the main reasons an X-ray is taken around age nine or ten. A canine on a poor path can damage the root of the tooth next to it, and that is a reason to act rather than watch.
Missing or extra adult teeth
Adult teeth that never formed, or extra ones that did, both change the space arithmetic in the arch and usually need a plan made rather than a decision deferred.
Severe crowding or a lack of space
Where adult teeth clearly have nowhere to go. Mild irregularity is extremely common and often needs nothing at all; there is a real difference between teeth that are not perfectly aligned and teeth that cannot fit.
Early loss of baby teeth
A baby molar lost years before it was due can allow the teeth behind it to drift forward and close the space the adult tooth needed. This is one of the more preventable causes of crowding, and it is why we wrote what actually happens when a baby tooth is lost early.
A marked jaw discrepancy
An upper jaw sitting well forward of the lower one, or a lower jaw sitting ahead of the upper. Where the difference is skeletal rather than dental, growth timing matters a great deal.
Habits affecting the bite
Sustained thumb sucking or a tongue-thrust pattern can change the position of the front teeth and the shape of the palate. Whether that needs intervention depends on the child's age and whether the habit is continuing.
What about appearance?
This is worth being direct about. Cosmetic dental treatment is not something offered or promoted to anyone under 18, and orthodontic assessment in children is properly framed as functional and developmental — how the bite works, whether the teeth can erupt where they need to, whether growth is proceeding normally.
Plenty of children have slightly irregular teeth that function perfectly well and need no treatment. Being told that clearly is a legitimate outcome of an assessment.
What does a routine check-up look at in a growing mouth?
- Which teeth have arrived and which are due, against the usual eruption sequence.
- Whether baby teeth are being lost in a reasonable order and at a reasonable time.
- How the upper and lower teeth meet, including any crossbite, deep bite or open bite.
- Whether there is space for what is still coming, assessed on X-ray where appropriate.
- Decay and gum health, which remain the more common problems by a wide margin.
A check-up, clean and X-rays for a child is $150 under the age of ten and $250 from ten upwards. For eligible children these services are bulk-billed under the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, meaning no out-of-pocket cost — you can check with our CDBS checker. Note that orthodontic treatment and orthodontic assessment are not covered by the schedule. Private figures assume no health-fund contribution, and a written quote is provided before treatment.
Quick answers
What age should a child first have their bite assessed?
Bite and jaw development are looked at from the earliest routine visits, and become more informative around age seven or eight once the first adult molars and front teeth are through.
Are crooked teeth in a child always a problem?
No. Mild irregularity is very common and frequently needs no treatment at all. The concerns that prompt referral are functional and developmental — crossbites, impacted teeth, missing teeth, and significant crowding.
Can a general dental practice do braces?
Some general practices provide some orthodontic treatment. Berala Dental does not. It refers to an orthodontist and provides the general dental care alongside treatment.
Does Medicare cover children's braces?
No. Orthodontic treatment is excluded from the Child Dental Benefits Schedule. Some private health funds offer orthodontic cover under extras policies, usually with waiting periods and annual limits.
Having your child's development reviewed
Most of what parents worry about turns out to be normal, and being told so is useful. Where something genuinely needs a specialist, saying so early is equally useful. healthdirect publishes general information on what an orthodontist does and on orthodontic treatment.
Berala Dental sees children every day, and a routine visit is meant to be a straightforward one.
Call (02) 9649 6468 · Book online · WhatsApp
You can also read about children's orthodontic assessment and referral, children's dental services, or why braces and aligners should not be done overseas.
Written and reviewed by Humzah Aly, Oral Health Therapist. This article is general information only and is not a substitute for personalised dental advice. Please see a dental practitioner to discuss what is right for you.
BeralaDental