Children's Dental Appliances in Lancaster, PA

Dental appliances can play a crucial role in improving your child's oral function, appearance, and protecting their smile during sports activities. At Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates, we offer a variety of options, including fixed space maintainers, thumb and finger appliances, palatal expanders, and custom athletic mouth guards for both children and teens. By partnering with professional dental labs, we ensure that each dental appliance is custom-made to meet your child’s unique needs, providing optimal results for their dental health. If you're interested in learning more about how a dental appliance can help your child, schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified pediatric dentists at our Lancaster, PA practice today.

We are pleased to offer the following types of oral appliances to our patients:

Athletic mouth guards: If your child is involved in sports, it is critical to protect their teeth, gums, and jaw with a custom athletic mouth guard. Unlike store-bought boil-and-bite options, custom mouth guards provide a better fit and are often more effective at protecting your child's smile from harm. Mouth guards are recommended by the American Dental Association for children who engage in sports, like hockey, football, soccer, wrestling, basketball, gymnastics, and even track and field, among others.

Space maintainers: At times, baby teeth need to be extracted before the permanent teeth are ready to erupt. To preserve this space and prevent surrounding teeth from shifting into the area, we may recommend a fixed space maintainer. This common device is typically made of smooth wire and bonded to the teeth around the extraction site for support.

Thumb and finger appliances: A habit of thumb- or finger-sucking that persists beyond age three poses a risk for bite complications, narrow arches, and other functional and orthodontic concerns. To help break this habit, we offer thumb and finger appliances. These fixed or removable devices attach to the upper teeth and prevent fingers and thumbs from touching the roof of the mouth and gums behind the front teeth.

Palatal expanders: Some young patients may need palatal expanders to assist with their teeth growth and orthodontic needs. If required, this appliance has brackets that connect to the teeth. These brackets connect to hardware, which goes across the roof of your child's mouth. Right in the middle of this hardware is a small hole for a key that stretches the arch to make more room.

Children’s dental appliances play a unique and vital role in ensuring a child's oral health, addressing both immediate needs and laying the foundation for a healthy adult smile. Dental devices can significantly benefit a child's oral development and overall dental health. These appliances not only address immediate concerns but also pave the way for long-term oral well-being. Here's a summary of the benefits of some key children's dental appliances:

Athletic Mouth Guards:

• Protects teeth and gums from injury during sports
• Minimizes the risk of concussions and jaw fractures
• Custom-fitted for comfort and effective protection

Space Maintainers:

• Holds space for permanent teeth when baby teeth are lost early
• Assists in proper alignment and spacing of emerging adult teeth
• Prevents neighboring teeth from shifting into vacant spaces

Thumb and Finger Appliances:

• Discourages harmful thumb-sucking and finger habits
• Aids in the proper development of the mouth and alignment of the teeth
• Reduces the risk of developmental issues in the jaw and palate

Palatal Expanders:

• Corrects crossbites and crowding by widening the upper jaw
• Makes room for teeth alignment and proper bite development
• Can reduce or eliminate the need for tooth extractions in the future

We may recommend an oral appliance for your child or teenager to support, preserve, or enhance their oral health in various scenarios. These appliances offer tailored protection and can help prevent future dental concerns. Ideal candidates for different types of dental appliances include:

• Mouth guards: Children or teens who participate in contact or non-contact sports and physical activities, especially those with braces or dental restorations
• Space maintainers: Young patients who have lost a tooth or had one extracted before the permanent tooth is ready to emerge, ensuring proper alignment and eruption of the new tooth
• Thumb and finger appliances: Children who continue thumb- or finger-sucking habits beyond early childhood, helping to prevent problems like flared front teeth, narrow arches, and other developmental issues

To make a custom dental appliance, like a palatal expander or space maintainer, our team will first take impressions of your child's lower and upper arches. We will then forward these molds to the appropriate dental lab where the dental appliance will be fabricated of the highest quality materials. It generally takes a couple of weeks for our office to receive oral appliances from our partner labs. When your child's device arrives, we will schedule an appointment to have it fitted or bonded into place. Our pediatric dentists will make any necessary adjustments for comfort.

Special instructions on how to care for your child's appliance at home will be reviewed with you by our team. Since it can be challenging to clean effectively around fixed appliances, such as space maintainers, we will show you and your child how to brush and floss to maintain oral health. Follow-up visits may be scheduled to make adjustments as needed to the dental appliance. We also encourage your child to bring any removable appliances (like mouth guards) to each of their regular dental visits so that we can inspect the device and ensure it is still properly serving their needs.

Dental insurance may cover a portion of your child's dental appliance. Before getting started, a member of our business staff will review your plan's benefits and determine if there may be any personal costs. Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates works with a number of dental insurances and makes covering any out-of-pocket expenses convenient with a variety of available payment options, including special financing through CareCredit®.

What should I do if my child's space maintainer falls out?
If your child's space maintainer is loose or comes out, please do not try and put it back in yourself. We recommend storing it in a safe place and contacting our office in Lancaster, PA immediately. It is important that our team replace the space maintainer as soon as possible, so your child's teeth do not shift into an unfavorable position.

How long do athletic mouth guards last?
In order to protect your child's teeth, an athletic mouth guard needs to fit properly over their teeth. Because children are still growing, it is recommended that your child's athletic mouth guard be replaced every six months or at the end of their athletic season.

How long will my child need to wear a palatal expander?
The length of time that a child will need to wear their palatal expander will vary depending on the child's unique dental needs. In most cases, children will need to wear their palatal expander for approximately nine months. We strongly advise again turning the expander more than recommended by your dentist.

How should we care for a dental appliance?
Proper care involves regular cleaning of the appliance with a toothbrush and mild soap, avoiding sticky or hard foods that can damage it, and ensuring it is worn consistently as instructed by the orthodontist.

What should I do if my child's dental appliance breaks or is lost?
Contact your orthodontist at Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates immediately if an appliance is damaged or lost. They will provide guidance on the next steps and arrange for a replacement if necessary.

Will my child experience any discomfort with a dental appliance?
Some initial discomfort or soreness is common when adjusting to a new dental appliance, but it usually resolves within a few days. Over-the-counter pain relievers and soft foods can help manage any discomfort.

Wearing a dental appliance is a crucial part of maintaining healthy smiles for many children and teens. At our child-friendly Lancaster, PA practice, our dedicated team offers customized mouth guards, space maintainers, and thumb and finger appliances to protect, improve, and support your child's dental wellness. To learn more about how these oral appliances can benefit your child, contact Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates today and chat with our team!