Space Maintainers
When a baby tooth is lost prematurely, it can create space issues in your child’s mouth. To prevent surrounding teeth from shifting into the empty gap, the dentist may recommend a space retainer. This device helps preserve the necessary space for the permanent adult tooth to grow in properly.
By maintaining the gap, space retainers play an important role in preventing future dental problems like crowding and misalignment. Early intervention with a space retainer supports healthy oral development and ensures your child’s smile stays on track as their adult teeth emerge.
Habit Breaking Counseling and Appliances
If your child has a habit of thumb sucking, finger sucking, pacifier use, or even lip and tongue sucking, it may be causing changes to their oral structure. These habits can lead to issues like an improperly shaped mouth, protruding teeth, and bite misalignment. While traditional counseling and positive reinforcement often help, they don’t always work for every child.
At Cohen Family Smiles, we offer custom-designed oral appliances to gently discourage these habits when other methods aren’t effective. Our caring team never makes children feel embarrassed; instead, we provide positive encouragement to empower your child and help them take control. This supportive approach motivates your child to stop harmful habits while protecting their healthy smile.
Early Orthodontics
It’s never too early to monitor your child’s oral development. Our pediatric dentists can identify malocclusion, such as crowded or crooked teeth, and bite issues early on, allowing for timely intervention. This early evaluation helps guide the proper growth of teeth and jaws as they emerge, setting the foundation for a healthy smile.
Through routine dental exams, we track your child’s bite and jaw development to detect any concerns that may require interceptive orthodontic treatment. Addressing these issues early can often prevent the need for more extensive and invasive orthodontic procedures later in life, saving time, discomfort, and expense.
