Do you want your child to grow into the strong and healthy smile they deserve? If so, you need to prevent the many things that can affect their teeth, gums and oral health. One of those things is tooth misalignment. Fortunately, there are things you can do when your child is at a young age that can help them have straighter and healthier teeth. Our orthodontist, Dr. James Karhohs, is happy to tell you all about those things, which are:
-Try to limit oral fixation habits: These habits include sucking the thumb, thrusting the tongue and using a pacifier. These habits all cause tooth misalignments because they place undue pressure on the teeth regularly. If possible, help your child curb these habits.
-Bring your child into our office at an early age: You can bring your child into our orthodontic office as early as age 7 to discuss the need for orthodontic treatment and to discuss tips to prevent misalignment.
-Consider using space maintainers: Space maintainers help your child maintain spaced teeth when things start to get a little crowded in the mouth. The crowding is natural because your child’s 20 teeth are being replaced with 32 permanent teeth all while the jaw is still small. The space maintainers can help keep teeth in place, save space for permanent teeth and prevent overlapping.
If you have any questions or if you would like to know more about how to help your child prevent tooth misalignment in Grand Rapids, Michigan, please reach out to our orthodontic team at James V. Karhohs, DDS, MS, PC. When you dial 616-784-4300, we will be more than happy to help you in any way we can. We look forward to your phone call!