Parents are often surprised the American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first evaluation by age 7 — well before most kids have all their adult teeth. It's not about starting braces early. It's about catching problems while there's still room to guide jaw growth.
By age 7, a child typically has a mix of baby and permanent teeth, which gives us a window most treatments don't get later: the jaw is still growing. Crossbites, significant crowding, and jaw-width discrepancies are far easier — and often cheaper — to correct while growth is still happening than after the jaw has finished developing in the teen years.
Most 7-year-olds don't need any treatment yet. The evaluation is quick — a scan, a look at how the teeth and jaw are developing, and an honest conversation about what (if anything) we're watching. Most kids get a simple "come back in a year" and nothing more.
When we do recommend early (Phase 1) treatment, it's targeted. Phase 1 addresses specific issues — crossbite, severe crowding, thumb-sucking related changes — over about 9-12 months, using appliances designed for a still-growing jaw. It's not the same as full braces, and most Phase 1 patients still need a shorter Phase 2 (full braces or Invisalign) once all adult teeth arrive, usually around age 11-13.
The goal of early evaluation isn't to sell you Phase 1 treatment — most kids don't need it. It's to make sure we're not missing a window where a smaller intervention now prevents a bigger one later. If your child hasn't had a first orthodontic evaluation and is 7 or older, it's worth 20 minutes to find out where things stand.