“Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of. Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of.” As an orthodontic specialist in South Lake Tahoe, CA and surrounding areas, that that old 19th-century nursery rhyme has us all aware that boys and girls are quite different. In my world of Orthodontics, that difference is most apparent in the area of growth and development. As in life, timing is everything. Successful outcomes depend on timing and it is especially important to see how these girl vs. boy differences show up in orthodontic treatment.

The Maturity Factor

As a general rule, girls mature faster and their pubertal growth spurt ends earlier than boys. In other words, by the time a young lady reaches 14 years old, 90% of her facial growth and development is complete. Young lads will continue to grow until their early 20’s. This becomes critical when my patients have jaws that are not growing enough (an overbite), growing too much (an underbite), or have mismatched upper and lower jaws that result in a crossbite.

Once Again, Timing is Everything

The critical thing is timing. Girls have a shorter window for effective non-surgical jaw corrections, so it is more important to get those young ladies in for an orthodontic evaluation by age seven. Boys can always benefit from an orthodontic evaluation at age seven, but they have a longer window for effective dento-orthopedic treatment.

See Our Orthodontist Specialist in South Lake Tahoe, CA & Surrounding Areas for More Information

Keep those differences in mind and have your child’s evaluation scheduled at age seven, the age that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children see an orthodontist. Our consultation is complimentary and the information gained will be invaluable for your child.

The information provided in this article is not meant to be medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you would like to learn more about this and other orthodontic-related topics, feel free to contact D’Ascoli Orthodontics by clicking here or by calling 775-853-1919.