Two short things worth watching for as your child's smile develops. Neither is cause for alarm — they're the kind of small observations that, caught early, can save a lot of work later.
Habits to watch for
If your child still sucks their thumb, uses a bottle well past toddlerhood, or breathes mostly through their mouth — it's worth mentioning at your next visit. Habits like these can gently reshape how the jaw and teeth grow in. It's not a crisis. It's just the kind of thing that's easier to address at five than at fifteen.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first orthodontic evaluation by age seven. We can do that check right here during a regular visit — no separate appointment, no referral needed unless we find something that calls for one.
When a baby tooth comes out early
Baby teeth are placeholders. They keep room in the jaw for the permanent teeth coming in underneath. If one gets lost early — from a cavity, a fall, anything — the teeth on either side can drift inward, and by the time the permanent tooth is ready to come through, there may not be enough room for it.
The fix for this, when we need it, is a space maintainer — a simple appliance, plastic or metal, that holds that space open until the permanent tooth arrives. Quick to fit, easy to wear, and it saves a lot of orthodontic work down the road.
Most kids don't need any of this. But when the signs are there, catching them early is the whole ballgame.