Orthodontic treatment is usually a result of one of two things: heredity or bad childhood habits. In some cases, we see patients who have experienced both. Heredity is out of your control, and we will deal with those causes as we see them appear. Early treatment is an important aspect of that. However, there are some things you can control, and your child’s bad habits are on that list. Let’s take a look at a few bad habits your child might be experiencing and things you can do to end those bad habits.

Sucking on fingers, thumbs, or pacifiers – This is a common practice for babies and toddlers. Sucking for comfort is a great tool during your child’s first year, but there is a time to end that habit. If you need help finding a way to end that habit, we would be happy to help. We have appliances that can end the sucking of thumbs and fingers, but most of the time all that’s needed is patience and vigilance.

Losing baby teeth early – Many things can cause the loss of baby teeth early. In many cases, it is a matter of injury. One thing you can do to prevent early tooth loss is to do your best to limit dangerous activities, and encourage your child to wear dental protection while playing sports and other contact activities.

Poor Hygiene Habits – Another common cause for orthodontic treatment is teeth that have been plagued with decay and disease. This is often a result of poor hygiene habits. Help your child create healthy habits of brushing and flossing twice each day so that they can prevent the likelihood of decay and disease.

If there is a simple solution to prevent the need of orthodontic care in the future, we suspect that you will probably want to take care of that for your child! Help by ending this bad habits before they get out of hand. Contact us today for more ideas about how to stop bad childhood habits and create a healthy smile for the future. We can’t wait to hear from you!