Did you know that the American Association of Orthodontists recommends that every child first visit an orthodontist by age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required and the best time for that patient to start treatment.

Early treatment can simplify later treatment by allowing your orthodontist to:

-Guide the growth of your child’s jaws and guide incoming permanent teeth.

-Regulate the width of the upper and lower dental arches.

-Create more space for crowded teeth.

-Prevent abnormal wear of permanent teeth.

-Prevent the need for future extraction of permanent teeth.

-Correct harmful habits such as thumb sucking.

-Eliminate abnormal swallowing or speech problems

A few things to look for that may indicate your child needs to see an orthodontist:

-Early or late loss of baby teeth.

-Finger or thumb sucking habits.

-Upper teeth fitting inside of lower teeth (cross bite).

-If your child has a hard time chewing or biting food.

Feel free to contact our office if you have any more questions or to schedule a complimentary consultation. At this appointment Dr. Shepherd can answer many questions including if early treatment is needed, what type of treatment is needed, when it should start and the estimated treatment time.

We have a fun new game at shepherdorthodontics…it’s Plinko…and it’s easy to win. You can win tokens to use in our vending machines or if it’s really your day…win tokens AND get entered into a monthly drawing to win a new iPod. We love our patients and this is another way we hope to make your appointments, and your day, a little more fun!! Come in and see us soon to check it out.

We want to thank all of you that “liked” us on Facebook this past month and to give an even bigger thanks…we put all our new Facebook friends into a drawing to win a brand new iPad…WAHOO!! We will be having more of these contests in the future, so remember to check our blog or Facebook page for the big info.

OK…drumroll please….and our new Facebook friend that wins the iPad is….Nicole Young Grant!! Congratulations.

All orthodontists are dentists, but only six percent of dentists are orthodontists. An orthodontist is a specialist in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. Orthodontists must first attend college, and then complete a four-year dental graduate program at a university dental school or other American Dental Association (ADA) accredited institution. They must then successfully complete an additional two to three-year residency program of advanced education in orthodontics. This residency program must also be accredited by the ADA. Through this training, the orthodontist learns the skills required in managing tooth movement (orthodontics) and guiding facial development (dentofacial orthopedics).

Only dentists who have completed this advanced specialty education may call themselves orthodontists and are considered specialists. If you have any questions we encourage you to call our office or ask us on Facebook.

Congrats Mitzi…hope you have a FANTASTIC time at the movies.

Make sure you stop by and see us to get your guess in for this month!

Last month we had FOUR WINNERS….yep, four people tied for the closest number!! So we made them split the two tickets!! No, we gave them each two tickets to have a fun day at the movies. Here’s our lucky winners:

Madi Lessman

Did you get your guess in yet? We have our Christmas guessing jar out and all you have to do is guess the closest number AND…yipee, free movie passes. Christmas break AND free movie passes…doesn’t get much better!! So come in and see us or make sure to guess at your next appointment…and have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We have the BEST patients at shepherdorthodontics and we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!