What Dr. Catherine McLeod looks at
A growth assessment is mostly watching and measuring, not treating. She looks at how the top and bottom teeth meet, the pattern the jaws are growing in, and whether there is enough room for the adult teeth still to come. She checks the airway and everyday habits too, things like persistent mouth breathing or thumb sucking, because they can nudge developing teeth off course. A quick, comfortable iTero scan records where the teeth and jaws are today, and repeating it over time shows exactly how they are changing. None of it is uncomfortable, and nothing about the visit is rushed.
Because a seven-year-old has a telling mix of baby and adult teeth, this is the age the Canadian Association of Orthodontists suggests for a first visit. It is early enough to spot the small number of issues that are simplest to guide, and to reassure the many families whose children are developing perfectly well.
Watchful waiting, and the 6-Seeds recalls
Here is the honest headline: most children assessed this early need no treatment yet. The right thing for them is not braces but a patient eye on how they grow, so that if a problem does start to show, it is caught at the best moment to act. That is exactly what our free 6-Seeds Growth Guidance Program is for. Children join a series of no-cost growth recalls, and Dr. Catherine McLeod simply checks in as the smile develops.
It is deliberately unintimidating. Every child gets a 6-Seeds Smiles Starter Pack, little ones are welcome to bring a favourite stuffed friend along, and there is nothing uncomfortable involved. You can read more about the wider picture of children's orthodontics on our orthodontics for children page.
When early guidance genuinely helps
For a small number of children, doing something early makes a real difference, and this is where a growth assessment earns its keep. A narrow upper jaw can be gently widened with a palatal expander while the jaw is still growing, a crossbite can be corrected before it pulls the jaw off centre, and crowding can sometimes be eased by creating room rather than removing adult teeth later. Guiding a habit at the right age can help too.
This kind of well-timed, growth-based care is what orthodontists call early treatment or Phase One. When it is genuinely worthwhile, Dr. Catherine McLeod will explain exactly why and give you a clear plan and written quote, with interest-free plans from $149 a month if you go ahead. And when it can safely wait, she will tell you that just as readily. The point of assessing early is not to treat early; it is to treat at the right time, or not at all.