Two-Phase Treatment: What You Should Know

Posted on December 16, 2021

Here are some things you should know about what orthodontists call “two-phase” treatment!

Process

The first phase aligns the child’s jaw properly to allow for sufficient spacing for all teeth. The second phase involves teeth straightening—using braces or retainers or Invisalign—that ensures the alignment of all teeth in their proper place so that they function as they should. Doing this in two separate steps, each with a target goal and with a “rest” period in between to allow the steps to “set”, helps the treatment solidify and remain effective for the entire development of the mouth and jaw’s structure.

Target Group

Two phase treatment is meant primarily for young children whose bones (including teeth) are still developing. Two phase treatment, therefore, is essentially ineffective in adults, as their jaws and teeth have already developed into a firm setting. Phase one is done while the child still has baby teeth and may require some sort of oral appliance to move the jaw, like retainers or braces with bands to pull the jaw into the proper position. Phase two then happens when all baby teeth are gone and permanent teeth have grown in, so that the shifting of teeth is equally permanent after treatment!

Benefits

This form of treatment is largely proactive! It reduces the chances of a child’s teeth growing in crooked or even unhealthy and hazardous places, that would otherwise require them to be pulled or surgically altered and shifted. It also sets the jaw in the right position so that normal acts like speaking, swallowing and chewing are all natural and unimpeded. Rather than painfully forcing teeth to move later in life, two phase happens much more naturally and therefore has a much better chance of long term success.

Thinking about whether or not “two phase treatment” is right for your child? Check out further details here at MI Smile, or come into our clinic for a personal consultation so that you can determine the best option for their dental health now, and in the long run!