There are 2 kinds of orthodontic problems.

The first is dental problems. We can enumerate them as crowding, angular teeth, gap between the teeth and rotated teeth.

The second is skeletal problems. These are problems such as upper or lower jaw’s being far too front and anterior open bite.

Although one of these 2 problems can be seen, both can also be seen.

There is no age limitation in dental problems. In other words, even the person is 55 years old, he can get orthodontic treatment if there are healthy bone and enough teeth in the mouth. Because teeth can move lifelong.

However, if the person has skeletal problems, age is an important criterion for the treatment. For example, lower jaw of a 10-15 years old child who is in growth and development stage can be moved forward with orthodontic appliances. This treatment is performed using the skeletal growth potential of the child. While growth and development starts to slow down at around the age of 17 in males, it ends at around the age of 16 in females. The period between the ages of 10 and 15 is the period when skeleton develops rapidly and skeletal problems can be easily treated by the orthodontists in this period.

What can be done if development stage has passed and there are skeletal problems? It can still be treated. However, this time, not the orthodontist but the plastic surgeon moves the upper jaw, which was backward, forward by performing genioplasty. While the orthodontist arranges the upper and the lower jaw perfectly, the plastic surgeon treats the skeletal disorder. This process that the plastic surgeon performs is called Orthognatic surgery.

If we sum up the importance of age in orthodontics, these treatments are the treatments that can be performed in any age. Age changes only the plan or the form of the orthodontic treatment.