In clinical work, parents of children often ask the question, “When is the most appropriate time for my child to have orthodontic treatment”. To answer this question well, we must first find out what common malocclusions are present in children. Malocclusion, also known as dental malocclusion, refers to the misalignment of teeth, the mismatch between teeth and bone, teeth and jaws, and the mismatch between the upper and lower dental arches, jaws and craniofacial surfaces, caused by inherent genetic and external environmental factors during the growth and development of children. The most common types of malocclusion are odontogenic, osteogenic, and functional malocclusion. Different types of odontogenic malocclusion are treated differently. 1. Odontogenic malocclusion: The best time to correct it is early in the permanent dentition, that is, when there are no milk teeth in the mouth, around the age of 12 or 13. At this time, the children’s milk teeth have just been replaced, growth and development is also in a more vigorous period, the plasticity of the bone is strong. The teeth can be moved to the desired position with very little orthodontic force. 2, functional misalignment: the best time for orthodontic treatment is 6-12 years of age, that is, the oral cavity of the permanent teeth are present in the period, which is also in the children’s bone growth transformation period. If this is not orthodontic treatment, delayed treatment, then many of the functional malocclusion will often develop into bony malocclusion, increasing the difficulty and cost of treatment. 3, osteogenic malocclusion: because it involves the growth of bone alteration, so children should be orthodontic treatment in the pre-growth peak. Generally speaking, girls 10-12 years old, boys 11-13 years old or so is the best time to correct osteogenic malocclusion. There is one exception to this rule, and that is “retrognathism”, commonly referred to as “geodesic”, a deformity that has a more serious impact on the development of the jaws of children and should be best treated at the age of 3.5-6 years. For adult patients with osteogenic malocclusion, basically only orthognathic surgery can be performed, while conservative orthodontic treatment is very ineffective. The above briefly introduces the timing of orthodontic treatment for various jaw and facial deformities in children. As parents of children, when you find that your child’s teeth are misaligned and the facial shape is abnormal, you should consult with an orthodontic specialist in a timely manner, as ordinary dentists do not have the knowledge and clinical experience in this area, so that your child’s abnormal facial shape, jaws and teeth can be treated correctly, timely and effectively.