Preventive/Early Orthodontia
Space Maintainers
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.
Oral Dental Habits
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.
Thumb Sucking Habit
Thumb Sucking Charts
To encourage your child to stop sucking his or her thumb, you can download and print these fun no thumb sucking charts!
Early Orthodontic Treatment
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:
- A crossbite of the back teeth.
- A crossbite of the adult front teeth.
- An extremely narrow upper dental arch (maxillary constriction).
- Severe crowding which prevents the normal eruption of adult teeth.
Before and After