When a child has prematurely lost his/her baby molar teeth due to large cavities or a defect, we recommend space maintainers. In using space maintainers, the goal is to prevent movement of the adjacent permanent "first molars" and loss of space for bicuspids and permanent canines.
Dental habits, such us thumb sucking and tongue trusting, can cause dental malocclusions, such as open bite, crossbite, etc. It is important to correct habits before they affect the permanent dentition.
To encourage your child to stop sucking his or her thumb, you can download and print these fun no thumb sucking charts!
Many children have orthodontic problems which develop at a young age that your pediatric dentist can treat. These problems should be addressed as soon as they are noticed, no matter how young a child is. Some of the problems which do require early orthodontic treatment include: