Children’s Early Orthodontics

Let Hildebrand Dental Give Your Child the Gift of a Beautiful, Healthy Smile!

Dr. Robin Hildebrand, Dr. Matt Hildebrand, and Dr. Mike Estivo all love kids! Our doctors love to help our patients have the straightest, healthiest smiles possible. Our doctors have been well educated on the benefits of offering early orthodontic care for children. Hildebrand Dental offers our patients that need orthodontic treatment the added convenience of not having to travel large distances to visit an orthodontist. Orthodontic services are offered at all three locations: Smithville, Weston and Plattsburg.

We can treat your children at an early age, in some cases as early as 5 years old! By treating your child’s orthodontic problems early, you may save money and may prevent the need for more extensive future treatment. We know our parents want the best for their children; straight teeth, properly sized jaws, straight profiles, being able to breathe properly through their nose and not their mouths, and of course, healthy and beautiful smiles!

Did you know that 75% of 12-year-olds need orthodontic treatment? The problem is that 90% of a child’s face has already developed by that age. Here at Hildebrand Dental, we can guide your child’s facial development early with functional orthodontic appliances. Up to 80% of your child’s treatment can be corrected before the adult teeth are even present. By treating your child early, you can spare your child from being treated throughout their teens, when acceptance to treatment more difficult. Our doctors love helping the little ones to breathe freely along with many other issues that may occur due to airway problems and crowded teeth. Why should your child suffer? Call Hildebrand Dental today, we can help!

Many children who need orthodontic treatment due to a bad bite have underdeveloped lower jaws. Dr. Robin, Dr. Matt and Dr. Mike utilize functional appliances, which can gently reposition the lower jaw forward, improve your child’s profile and correct the bite problem within 7 to 9 months. This process is fairly comfortable and our doctors have successfully utilized functional appliances for many children.

Why are functional orthodontic appliances so important?
Dr. Robin, Dr. Matt and Dr. Mike utilize functional orthodontic appliances, which can help correct and often prevent: bite problems, underdeveloped jaws, narrow arches, crowded teeth, deep overbites, jaw joint problems, airway problems and thumb-sucking habits.

Many children with narrow jaws, deep overbites, or receding lower jaws have unhealthy jaw joints which can cause:

Headaches and neck pain
Dizziness and fainting
Earaches or ringing in the ears
Clicking and locking jaws, or difficulty opening jaws

Deep overbites and receding lower jaws may cause earaches, stuffiness or ringing in the ears. If infection has been ruled out, Dr. Robin, Dr. Matt and Dr. Mike can eliminate these symptoms effectively with functional appliances.

Mouth breathing can lead to orthodontic problems, as well as other problems, such as poor sleep habits. This can leave children prone to daytime fatigue, an inability to concentrate in school, and headaches. Mouth breathing can cause narrow arches and unattractive smiles. By using functional appliances while children are actively growing, our doctors and teams in Smithville, Weston and Plattsburg can help them achieve a broad, beautiful smile and prevent many issues.

Due to the fact that younger children between the ages of 5 and 11 are often much more cooperative than children between the ages of 12 to 14, the use of functional appliances is ideal, Additionally, early phase one orthodontic treatment with functional appliances will probably mean that your child will wear fixed braces on their adult teeth for less time.

Crowded teeth are caused by narrow arches. Developing the arches at an early age may prevent or eliminate the crowding of permanent teeth and often eliminates the need to remove any adult teeth. Narrow jaws can confine the tongue and interfere with normal speech. Functional appliances help ensure proper growth and greatly enhance your child’s ability to speak normally.

The Hildebrand Dental team’s early use of functional appliances can prevent or eliminate the need for the removal of adult teeth and lengthy use of braces, speech difficulties, and crowding.

Early phase one orthodontic treatment with functional appliances, (ages 5 to 12), should be initiated for habits such as tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, a constricted airway due to swollen adenoids or tonsils, mouth breathing, snoring problems, a bad bite, or narrow or underdeveloped jaws. Our doctors suggest that it is critical to correct any functional or jaw problems as soon as they are diagnosed. During phase two, orthodontics (ages 12 to 14), your child’s teeth are straightened with braces.

A functional appliance may provide your child with improved appearance and speech. Dr. Robin, Dr. Matt and Dr. Mike take great pride in helping children to have the healthiest, most beautiful smiles possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at (816) 539-2125 in Plattsburg, or (816) 873-3260 in Smithville, or (816) 386-4104 in Weston.

Before & After