Chicago Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics Blog

Whether you’re an adult or teen, addressing orthodontic problems like crowding and bite misalignment are not only important for your health, but also for your confidence. A straightened smile can go a long way, and although braces and aligners can be a lengthy commitment, they’re well worthwhile. Be prepared for your first appointment by getting the answers you’ll be glad you had as you undergo treatment. Read on for four important questions to ask your orthodontist.

Oral health is something that matters your whole life—from the moment you have teeth and forever after! But sometimes, children struggle to establish, maintain, or improve their oral hygiene habits, which ultimately spells bad news for their smiles moving forward. And as a parent, it’s up to you to help your little one understand the value of taking great care of their teeth, as well as helping them achieve healthy and bright pearly whites. Better yet, you can make things much more fun for your kid, too! Here are some useful tips from your pediatric dentist that are certain to help.

It’s been a few hours since you’ve left your orthodontist’s office with your brand-new clear aligners. You are excited about treatment, but you are also getting hungry. It’s time for you to take out your aligners for the first time on your own.

However, these plastic devices are purposefully tight against your teeth, which means removing them won’t be easy, particularly at the beginning of treatment. Here are five tips to help you learn this process as quickly as possible.

Your child seems excited by a certain sport. They enjoy participating, work hard to practice, and they may even excel at it! But they have crooked teeth and need orthodontic treatment, which often requires a couple of years. Could braces stand between them and their athletic dreams?

No matter the sport, braces should not hinder your child’s ability to pursue what they love. However, there are some things you should know before starting treatment so that their smile both during and after treatment can be safe.

As a parent, you’re likely concerned about your child catching the cold or flu around this time of year from one of their classmates and bringing it home. While this is a valid concern, did you know that cold and flu season can also increase their risk of developing common oral health problems like cavities, too? With preventive measures in place, you can make sure that priceless grin that you love to see every day stays healthy and happy. Read on for four ways to keep your child’s oral health on the right track during cold and flu season.

In the past, getting your teeth straightened meant having to commit to wearing metal wires and brackets for years. Today, when your teen visits their pediatric specialist, they’ll have the option to choose clear aligners! This exciting modern treatment can allow them to address crowding, gaps, and bite misalignment all without their friends knowing, if that’s what they’d prefer. However, just like with any orthodontic treatment, there are some common mistakes that could set back the process. Read on to learn five ways your teen could ruin their clear aligner treatment.

Invisalign clear aligners are one of the most popular orthodontic treatments among both teens as well as adults because it redefines what straightening your smile looks like, making the process smooth, simple, and easy to incorporate into your day-to-day life. However, that doesn’t mean that prospective aligner-wearers don’t have their concerns about the process, one of the most popular being whether the trays will affect their speech. Read on to learn whether speech issues are a common effect of wearing trays and how you can combat them.  

When you become a parent, you get a lot of advice and information from people around you, often without you even asking for it! Unfortunately, not all of the guidance from others is true, and when it comes to kid’s dental health, there are a lot of misinformation circulating. Keep reading to learn about just three myths about children’s dentistry and the truths behind them!

People know from experience that kids can have health emergencies. Whether it’s from a physical injury, an illness, or something else, minors sometimes need urgent help from a medical professional. However, those situations don’t always lead to the hospital — some result in an emergency dental visit. That said, concerned parents will want to know what happens at such an appointment. Luckily, your Chicago pediatric dentists are here to help! Read on to learn three things you and your little ones can expect from emergency dental care.

As a parent of a young child, you’re accustomed to giving encouragement and praise for the little things they do. Going to the bathroom and using the potty may seem routine for older children, but it is a big deal while they are still learning, and rewarding their successes with praise can motivate them to continue progressing. The same concept applies to brushing teeth!

In this post, you’ll learn why developing this habit early in life is essential, why praise is important in the process, and how to properly encourage your child to brush for the full two minutes twice every day.