When it comes to pediatric dentistry, certain dental appliances work for prevention, while others work for treatment. A good pediatric dentist in Burtonsville, MD, can use the best dental appliance to prevent injuries and reduce/eliminate the requirement for advanced treatment. So what are the most common types of pediatric appliances that a dentist uses? Find them below:
1.Mouth Guard
Children wearing mouthguards can engage in possibly injurious activities, such as sports and recreational activities. A good pediatric dentist customizes mouthguards for children. Mouthguards are used for kids who brux/grind their teeth at night.
2.Space Maintainers
Adjacent teeth are likely to shift to fill the space, which causes alignment and spacing issues for permanent teeth. A dentist inserts spacers as placeholders until the permanent teeth erupt. Most fixed spacers are made of metal and are extremely durable. An acrylic button can degrade the aesthetics if a visible tooth misses.
3.Removable Space Maintainers
Removable spacers are hardly used in children. They work a little bit as orthodontic retainers. The exclusive plastic parts fit inside the vacant slot to prevent the adjacent teeth from drifting.
4.Bionator
A bionator device works if a pediatric dentist suspects a kid’s jaw isn’t increasing in proportion to each other. The bionator places the lower jaw ahead, which helps the teeth to properly align and erupt. The dental appliance can eliminate the need for future advanced orthodontic treatments and help promote natural-looking alignment.
5.Thumb Sucking Appliances
Children continuing thumb sucking even after getting 5 or 6 years old experience oral complications, such as misaligned/impacted teeth and narrowed arches. The palatal crib appliance immediately stops thumb-sucking. A pediatric dentist crafts and affixes a crib, which is almost like the least visible dental brace set. This helps with the prevention of their thumb from reaching the mouth roof, which decreases gratification and quickly breaks the habit. The crib’s removable variations are available and are used depending on the child’s age and willingness to cooperate.
6.Expansion Appliances
An expansion appliance can fix an overbite, in which the upper front teeth overshadow the lower front teeth. The expansion appliance stretches and broadens the arch, which creates sufficient space for your teeth to get realigned straight. Customized expansion appliances can get affixes to the teeth’ interior or exterior. Kids with a cleft palate may be required to wear it to prepare their jaw for oral surgery.
The Bottomline
Pediatric dentists usually use these appliances when treating their patients. The implementation of the right dental alliance can always deliver the desired results.