Awkward Stage?
No Way!

Early orthodontics at DFC help children’s smiles come in nice and straight, so they’ll grow up smiling!

Early orthodontics, also known as interceptive orthodontics, may be the key to your kid avoiding braces when prom comes around.

Here at Littleton’s go-to pediatric dental practice, we offer early interceptive orthodontic treatments that are all about preventing more severe problems later on.

How Does This All Work?

Really, there are a number of things that can be done to help guide the growth and positions of permanent teeth, long before your kid loses all of his baby teeth.

Early orthodontics allow us to control where a kid’s permanent teeth will come in by addressing the structure of the jaw and teeth while he still has his primary teeth. We can start this type of treatment as early as age six or seven, because, at this age, teeth are still developing and the jaw is still growing.

By being proactive when it comes to your child’s orthodontic needs, you can save your youngster from more difficult treatments later and can save money down the line.

When it comes to early orthodontics, simple things can make a huge difference.

Part of what we do at every single check-up is evaluate children’s jaws and teeth, checking them for function and position. We also consistently monitor growth patterns and the exchange of teeth, so we can determine which interventions will create worthwhile benefits for your child.

Early Orthodontics at DFC

DFC is the only dentist your kid will need. We take care of children’s teeth from the moment the very first one pokes through their gums until they have a mouth of perfectly straight, cavity-free adult teeth.

With early orthodontics at DFC, your kid can grow up smiling!

We offer successful, proactive early orthodontics treatments, including:

PALATAL EXPANSION

Sometimes there isn’t enough room for teeth to grow in, a cross bite develops, or the lower jaw grows off to one side. That’s why our pediatric dentists support early palatal expansion. This early orthodontic treatment fixes cross bites and makes room for those teeth which wouldn’t erupt on their own, or would come in really crooked.

For example, we may use a device called a palatal expander to expand a child’s upper dental arch until it’s the proper size. This provides a better chance that the adult teeth will emerge in better, straighter positions!

HABIT CESSATION

The cute, natural habits from childhood can sometimes linger.

If your kid is struggling with habit cessation, we’re here to help!

With supportive coaching and guidance, we can let you know when it’s the right time to start working on a habit and how to do it without stress.

TOOTH REMOVAL FOR GUIDANCE OF ERUPTION

No one likes a crowd!

On the occasions where things get really stacked up, we will recommend removing selected baby teeth to guide the grown-up teeth into ideal positions.

This can help prevent tooth impaction and difficult orthodontic treatments later on.

SPACE MAINTENANCE

When a tooth is lost too early, it’s important to save that space which belongs to its permanent replacement.

We can insert painless space maintainers into your kid’s mouth to help teeth stay in-line.

MOUTHGUARDS & SPLINTS

Grinding teeth? Jaw pain?

We can help with that.

We can manage jaw pain and protect our patients’ teeth with simple, invisible retainers.

MINOR BITE ADJUSTMENTS

Just a little here and a little there.

When space is restricting the growth of permanent teeth, we are able to make minor adjustments to those baby teeth, giving them some extra room. This ensures the successful arrival of those awesome, new big teeth.

All About Early Orthodontics

Early orthodontics treatment prevents more serious problems from developing and makes the treatment your kid might need at a later age shorter and less complicated.

With early orthodontics at Dentistry for Children & Teens, we can create a better environment for adult teeth to live in as they emerge.

In most cases, we can achieve results that wouldn’t be possible once the face and jaws have finished growing. Early treatment gives us the chance to: