14.04.2026
Early treatment: useful, but not for everyone
Early treatment in the primary or early mixed dentition makes sense when a finding causes damage for as long as you wait. This includes a lateral crossbite with forced guidance of the lower jaw, strongly protruding front teeth with an increased risk of accidents, and an open bite caused by a persistent sucking habit.
In these cases the goal is limited and can be stated clearly: resolve the forced position, lower the risk, interrupt the habit. The aim is not to replace the later treatment.
Where these reasons are absent, waiting is the better choice. Treatment in the mixed dentition followed by a second one in adolescence means double the duration, double the burden and often fatigue as well – right before the phase that really counts.
So if early treatment is proposed, ask about the goal and about when it will be reviewed. A good answer names both.