Sometimes due to issues like advanced decay or infection, or even injury, kids could lose a baby tooth early. When this happens, lack of treatment could mean the onset of misalignment. But your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist can help with our space maintainers. Our team wants to help kids of all ages enjoy even smiles, limiting the risk posed by misalignment!
The Risks of Premature Tooth Loss
How does a child lose a tooth prematurely? The primary teeth are meant to fall out on specific times, leaving a space for the permanent teeth to erupt. But when a tooth is lost early due to factors like tooth decay, infection, or injury, this could cause nearby teeth to shift, which means the permanent teeth have trouble erupting, worsening misalignment and require the need for orthodontics later. With our Phase One orthodontics, such as a space maintainer, our team can help keep the space open to ensure the permanent teeth can erupt without trouble.
Our Space Maintainers
The space maintainer is a small metal appliance that is connected to the teeth on each side of the gap in your child’s smile. Once in place, this helps keep the area open so that there is a clear and unobstructed path for the permanent teeth, so they can erupt and your kids can avoid the onset of poor alignment. Some of these will be fixed in place, like the one we mentioned above. We recommend these for most kids, but we also have removable options that can be taken out for cleaning and maintenance. We will monitor their smiles and the appliances with a visit every six months.
Correcting Misalignment
Did you know that we can offer orthodontic care for kids starting as young as age seven? The goal of our Phase One orthodontics, such as space maintainers and retainers, is to help guide the smile and limit the severity of misalignment in childhood, so that once the teen years begin we can begin to offer braces or potentially even Invisalign® aligners to correct the smile and ensure your kids can enjoy their teen and adult years with an even and healthy smile.
If you have any questions about how our team will take on misalignment in little smiles, or if you would like to make an appointment for your child, then contact our team today to learn more and get started.
Treating Dental Misalignment for Kids and Adults in Shirley, NY
We want to protect the health and alignment of little smiles, which is why we offer interceptive orthodontics like our space maintainers. To find out more about us, call Shirley Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Shirley, NY at 631.399.1600 today.
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