Most parents work very hard to keep their children’s health; unfortunately, they often do not know when they should provide their children’s dental care. In many cases, they leave their children prone to the growth of misaligned teeth because they start dental care a bit late. Crooked teeth require extensive and costly treatments in adulthood and will negatively impact your children’s self-esteem. Misaligned teeth will also make it hard for your children to clean their teeth. It will also contribute to a range of dental and health conditions. Fortunately, it does not need to be like this. In cities like Lehi, Utah, some pediatric dentists encourage their clients to make regular dental visits the first time they see their children’s teeth grow. There are now solutions in interceptive orthodontics to prevent the growth of crooked teeth. Phase one interceptive orthodontics starts when your child turns two and continues until they turn six. Here are some of the interceptive orthodontic solutions for the prevention of crooked teeth in phase one treatment.
Space Maintainers
Children often lose their milk teeth prematurely to cavities and sports injuries. The gap so left might cause a shift of adjacent teeth and contribute to the crooked growth of your child’s permanent teeth. To alleviate this risk, the dentist will recommend a space maintainer. This stops the dental shift and maintains the space for permanent teeth growth. There are different space maintainer types including lingual holding and trans-palatal arches, and band-and-loop and distal shoe devices.
Palatal Expanders
A significant portion of crooked teeth in kids is attributed to minimal space on their jaws. This causes the teeth to grow in proximity and sometimes in poor alignment. A palatal expander is an ideal appliance to correct this issue. The device will gradually extend your child’s palate and thus increase the space for the proper growth of teeth.
Palatal Cribs
Thumb sucking is one of the normal reflexes in children. The habit is however only healthy up until a child reaches the age of three. The persistence of thumb sucking beyond three years causes dental misalignments, tooth impaction and posterior crossbites. If your child is thumb sucking beyond three years, the dentist might recommend a palatal crib. This is placed behind a child’s front teeth to reduce the satisfaction from the habit and efficiently bring it to an end. A palatal crib will also halt tongue thrusting.
Mouthguards
Older children are at high risk of tooth loss from the different sports activities they engage in. You can minimize the risk of tooth loss when you encourage them to use mouthguards. This is worn when they engage in dangerous sports and protects their teeth from being knocked out. The mouthguard can also be used at night if kids grind their teeth when asleep. Grinding wears out teeth and makes them look crooked. The above interceptive orthodontic solutions are inexpensive and have a proven efficiency in the prevention of crooked teeth. The appliances also take a short time to show results and are safe for your children. Unlike in times past when dental appliances were uncomfortable, technological advancements have made it possible for the above appliances to be as comfortable as possible for children.
