Children's Dental Appliances in Lancaster, PA

Dental appliances may be used in a number of situations to help improve your child's oral function or appearance and protect their smile from damage during sports. At Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates, we are pleased to offer fixed space maintainers, thumb and finger appliances, palatal expanders, and custom athletic mouth guards for children and teenagers. We work closely with our professional dental labs to customize dental appliances specifically for each individual to ensure the best possible treatment outcomes and results for children's dental health. To protect, preserve, and enhance your child's smile with a dental appliance, contact our Lancaster, PA practice and schedule a visit with one of our board-certified pediatric dentists.

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 suggest an oral appliance for your child or teenager to enhance, preserve, or improve their oral health in a number of situations. Mouth guards are recommended for any patient who engages in contact or non-contact sports or physical activities. These custom guards are especially helpful if your son or daughter wears braces or has dental restorations. Space maintainers may be an important aspect of your child's dental care if a tooth is lost or extracted before the underlying permanent tooth is ready to emerge. This type of appliance will hold open the extraction site while preventing neighboring teeth from invading the space and disrupting proper tooth eruption or alignment. Thumb and finger appliances may be ideal for children who still have a thumb- or finger-sucking habit beyond the early childhood years. By breaking this tendency early, we can often minimize the risk for concerns, like flared front teeth, a narrow palatal arch, and other development 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 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 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 an important aspect of oral health for many children and teen patients. At our child-centered Lancaster, PA practice, our team of specialists offers custom mouth guards, space maintainers, and thumb and finger appliances to preserve, enhance, and improve your child's dental wellness and smile. To find out more about the benefits of these oral appliances, please contact Lancaster Pediatric Dental Associates and speak with our friendly team today.