Cute Smiles 4 Kids San Antonio Children's Dentist Help Prevent Need For Braces

A Children Dentist Can Help to Prevent the Need for Braces

shutterstock_153764189-300x200If you are worried that your child may need braces, visit a children dentist. We can examine their teeth and let you know if it is likely that they will need an orthodontic treatment at some point.  Many parents want to know this early so that they can start to plan for it.  While this is understandable, there is no set way to know if a child needs braces until their adult teeth have come in.  There are, however, risk factors such as genetics that make it more likely that they will need orthodontics.  For example, if you or your spouse has a small palate and needed braces or oral surgery, your child is likely to need some sort of orthodontics treatment as well.

There are things that you can do not to completely prevent the need for braces, but to at least reduce the number of teeth that come in crooked.  It starts by understanding the facts.  Baby teeth are what holds space for adult teeth to come in.  Keeping them healthy and strong is essential for ensuring that they remain in place for as long as possible.  If they fall out too early, it can create a domino effect that impacts their future adult teeth.

It’s simple really, when a baby tooth falls out before it’s supposed to the adult tooth is not ready to descend yet.  This leaves an open hole and in response to that open space, the remaining baby teeth or adult teeth will start to move into that space.  When an adult tooth is ready to come in, the spot, that was saved, will now be gone or be significantly smaller. This forces the tooth to come in crooked or in front or behind other teeth.  This condition is commonly referred to as overcrowding because the adult teeth have nowhere to go.  As a children dentist, we can help to prevent this problem.

It starts with preventative care and keeping baby teeth healthy.  When teeth are healthy, they are simultaneously stronger.  This means they will be less likely to crack or chip when your child falls on the playground or runs into the monkey bars. Active kids will get hurt so it’s a matter of minimizing the injuries that they will sustain.  Regular teeth cleanings will help to keep their teeth cavity and infection free so that they can be strong enough to withstand the occasional bump without becoming damaged or getting knocked out.

You can further help to protect them by getting a mouth guard for your child to wear.  These mouth guards can be worn while your child is practicing or playing sports and according to the American Academy of Dentistry, this prevents hundreds of thousands of sports-related tooth injuries every year.

We encourage you to schedule an appointment with our children dentist office.  This way we can help your child to have strong and healthy teeth that are more likely to remain in place for as long as they are supposed to.