Interceptive / phase 1 treatment

It can potentially also shorten future orthodontic treatment time or even eliminate the need to have future orthodontic treatment altogether. It is called interceptive treatment because it "intercepts" developing bite or alignment issues before they become more serious and harder to fix later.

This treatment is typically done around the ages of 6-10 years old, but can be performed any time during a patient's growing years. Usually, there is a mix of baby teeth and permanent teeth present.

The primary goal of Interceptive Treatment is to guide jaw growth and tooth eruption, and to allow the orthodontist to capitalize on the patient's dental growth and get dental development on the right path. The most common treatment is with either a fixed or removable upper expansion appliance to widen the patient's upper jaw as he or she grows to make sure there is an appropriate amount of space for the permanent teeth to erupt as they should.

When the upper jaw is widened using this appliance, the lower jaw typically follows the same pattern. Interceptive treatment can also include habit correctors (to help stop habits like thumb sucking), and in some cases, some very limited braces for a short time to facilitate proper eruption and space closure on already erupted teeth that may hinder surrounding permanent teeth from coming in as they should.

Treatment time lasts for 6-12 months on average, and then patients enter a holding phase until they are ready for future treatment. During this time, the patient will be seen 1-2 times each year to monitor dental development and growth, and to ensure no additional interceptive treatment is needed.