Ask an Orthodontist: Can I Prevent My Child From Getting Crooked Teeth?

Wondering if an orthodontist can provide you with the information you need to prevent your child from being diagnosed with crooked teeth? Yes! An orthodontist is a dentist who has decided to focus their practice on preventing, diagnosing and treating dental irregularities.

There are many different types of dental irregularities that anyone can be diagnosed with nowadays, with crooked teeth being one of the more common. While there are few different teeth straightening options available for those who have crooked teeth, it is always ideal to prevent the teeth from becoming crooked in the first place.

Braces

Think that an orthodontist may need to place braces on your child’s teeth if they continue growing in crooked? Since most parents would rather avoid their child needing to wear braces, getting advice from an orthodontist is recommended. Orthodontists are dental professionals who understand everything there is to know about children’s teeth, including the reasons their teeth are not growing in properly. When a child needs braces in order to straighten their not-so-straight teeth, the most common type of braces that they will have placed on their teeth are traditional metal braces. The overall time it takes varies from patient to patient, with the average time being about 18 months.

Can parents prevent their child from having crooked teeth?

Many parents wonder if there is anything they can do in order to prevent their child from having crooked teeth. The answer is yes! There are indeed a few things parents can do to help ensure that their children’s teeth grow in straight, which makes for a healthy mouth. The following is a list of three things parents can do to support straight teeth.

Stop prolonged thumb sucking

While many children suck their thumb as this helps to give them comfort, they need to stop this habit by the time they reach the age of four. Thumb sucking has the potential to lead to front tooth problems, as well as create damage to the roof of their mouth, leading to crooked teeth.

Encourage breathing through the nose

Breathing through the mouth often leads to a crooked teeth diagnosis in children. This makes it a good idea for parents whose children are mouth breathers to encourage their children to breathe through their nose.

Offer a variety of healthy food choices

Eating healthy foods not only supports a healthy body, but it also supports a healthy mouth. When children eat a variety of healthy foods, it helps support the proper development of the jaw, a necessary part of teeth growing in properly.

Need to make a consultation appointment?

Would you like to make an appointment with our orthodontist so you can ask them all your questions? We understand that there’s a great deal of information available online nowadays, which can make it difficult for you to know which information you should pay attention to and what you should ignore. When you make an appointment with a professional orthodontist, you know that all the information you receive is true and real, allowing you to make ideal choices when it comes to your child’s good oral health.

Request an appointment here: or call Gilroy Dental Associates at (408) 842-2818 for an appointment in our Gilroy office.

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