As a Pediatric Dentist Here’s Why Your Child May Need Braces

As a pediatric dentist, we help children throughout the area to stay in good oral health. When their teeth are crooked, it may be necessary for them to wear braces. Braces are an important part of establishing good oral health. When teeth are crooked or have come in either behind or in front of each other, it becomes difficult to keep them clean and cavity free. For children, this is especially important because it is harder for them to brush and floss properly anyway.

We recommend that you bring your child in for a consultation around seven so that we can see if they have overcrowding or other issues. This will give us a good idea of whether or not they will need braces. It is impossible to tell with one hundred percent certainty what their adult teeth will do but by this age, we will have a good idea. If your child has sucked their thumb for a prolonged period of time, their front teeth may have started to protrude outwards, creating an overbite. Likewise, if their baby teeth fell out too early, the remaining teeth may have shifted into the space left by the missing tooth. These are things that we can see from an early age.

Genetics also plays a role in whether or not your child will need braces. As a pediatric dentist, we see that when parents needed to straighten their teeth, children have an increased likelihood of needing them as well. Let us know if this is the case during the consultation so that we can factor that into our recommendations.

If your child looks like they will need to straighten their teeth or correct their bite, we may recommend starting by getting other orthodontic procedures in anticipation of braces. In many cases, room needs to be created for the adult teeth that are coming in. Spacers and expanders can be used to do so. An expander works by pushing the palate outwards, so that when the adult teeth come in there is a place for them to go. This procedure is often started at a young age since it works to create space in anticipation of teeth and before braces are necessary.

As a pediatric dentist, we will follow the progress of a child's teeth and once all of the adult teeth are in, they can get kids braces. The best type of braces for kids are the traditional metal ones. They are, however, much improved from decades ago. Modern dental technology has made brackets and wires smaller and stronger. This means that the same procedure can be completed in less time and without taking up as much space in the mouth. Children are more comfortable as a result.

A lot of our young patients enjoy getting braces and view this as a step towards adulthood. Braces are so commonplace now that the old stigma has mostly been removed. Kids even enjoy picking out their rubber bands during visits so that they can wear their favorite team colors, try out a fun pattern, or get ready for a holiday. As a pediatric dentist, we will continue to oversee your child's care to ensure that the process goes smoothly.