The Woodlands & Montgomery Family Orthodontics
Serving Children, Teens & Adults
At Manning Orthodontics, Dr. Kendra Manning and our team offer personalized care for children, teens, and adults throughout The Woodlands, Montgomery, and the surrounding communities.
Braces & Clear Aligners In The Woodlands & Montgomery
You can find the latest fixed and removable orthodontic appliances to choose from at Manning Orthodontics, like:
Orthodontics for Children
Early interventional orthodontic treatment focuses on prevention rather than correction. By creating a healthy space for adult teeth to grow, your child can avoid complicated orthodontics and extractions due to bite issues later.
See Us by 7
Dr. Manning and the American Association of Orthodontists recommend that children around The Woodlands and Montgomery see an orthodontist around age seven. Prevention is key to ensuring healthy growth in the jaw and proper alignment for future adult teeth.
How Phase I Treatment Works
Early interventional orthodontic treatment differs from standard orthodontic care.
For example, Dr. Manning typically won’t employ braces to correct teeth. Instead, her early orthodontic treatment focuses on preventing adult bite issues by creating a proper environment with enough space for teeth to grow.
Treatment varies based on your child’s needs, but it might include habit appliances to:
- Gradually move teeth
- Expand the jaw
- Properly align jaw position
- Maintain space for the adult dentition
Dr. Manning might also perform strategic extractions of baby teeth as-needed to assist erupting permanent teeth.
Does Your Child Need Early Intervention?
While all children should have an early orthodontic assessment, it’s important to note that early intervention is necessary only when indicated and not for every patient. Dr. Manning will attend to your child’s unique needs to ensure there’s never unnecessary treatment.
As a parent, you can look for a few red flags that indicate your child may need an early orthodontics assessment. These warning signs include:
- Early or late loss of baby teeth
- Mouth breathing
- Trouble chewing or biting
- Shifting jaw
- Jaw that cracks, pops, or makes other noise
- Speech problems
- Teeth grinding or clenching
- An asymmetrical facial appearance
- Biting the cheek or roof of the mouth
- Bad oral habits like pen and fingernail biting
- Sucking of the finger, thumb, cheek, or lower lip
Even if your child doesn’t exhibit any of the symptoms above, Dr. Manning can identify issues with baby teeth that indicate the need for early orthodontic treatment. Bite problems in baby teeth are often very subtle and even invisible to the untrained eye.
Benefits of Early Intervention
Early orthodontics are essential for preventing complex bite issues in children. Dr. Manning can identify subtle discrepancies and then employ techniques, appliances, and methods to assist proper jaw development.
The benefits of early interventional orthodontic treatment include:
- Guiding adult teeth to grow into a healthy position
- Encouraging a symmetrical appearance and self-esteem
- Avoiding painful and costly jaw surgery
- Eliminating the need for braces later OR
- Drastically reducing the invasiveness and length of time for braces
- Improving how the lips meet
- Correcting and avoiding trauma from bad habits like thumb sucking
Orthodontics for Teens
The most common time for orthodontic treatment with braces or aligners is during the teen years. That’s because their permanent teeth have all erupted, but their jaw is still developing, allowing Dr. Manning to gently guide alignment.
Dr. Manning can also recognize issues with spacing, crowding, bite, and alignment in this age range. That means your teen can get the best approach to their dental issues and treatment is more efficient.
At Manning Orthodontics, your teen can choose between Invisalign clear aligners, metal braces, or clear ceramic braces. Each of these choices offers unique benefits while transforming your teen’s smile.
Orthodontics for Adults
You’re never too old to benefit from orthodontic treatment with Dr. Manning, and that’s why we offer orthodontics for adults in The Woodlands and Montgomery.
Your teeth don’t stop moving after your teen years. Teeth that seemed straight and aligned in youth could have shifted later in life. This can lead to jaw pain, trouble brushing, or a smile you’re unhappy with.
If you leave misaligned teeth untreated, you may develop other dental problems, such as tooth decay and gum disease. You may also notice abnormal wear on the surface of your teeth or difficulty chewing.
Dr. Manning can address these issues and more through orthodontic treatment, giving you the healthy smile you’ve always dreamed about. Our team uses orthodontic forces to move teeth in the same way for both adults and children, and you’ll notice the benefits of your treatment in no time.
Why Should You Think About Orthodontic Treatment?
Straight Teeth Are Healthy
After Dr. Manning aligns your teeth, it’s easier to clean them with regular flossing and brushing to prevent other oral issues, including some problems that can affect your overall health.
A Straight Smile Builds Confidence & Self-Esteem
Successful orthodontic treatment at Manning Orthodontics can help boost your self-esteem, create a better quality of life, and allow you to smile with confidence.
Untreated Oral Issues May Worsen
If you refuse or delay orthodontic treatment when Dr. Manning recommends it, you could develop long-term health issues that may wind up costing you more in the end.
At Manning Orthodontics, our team understands that teens, kids, and adults have different dental needs, so we give each age group personal care.
We’ll work diligently for you to make sure you receive the most appropriate treatment at our inviting offices in The Woodlands and Montgomery.
We Welcome Kids, Teens & Adults
Start your journey towards a healthy new smile today and schedule your first free braces or clear aligner consultation with our expert and friendly orthodontist, Dr. Manning.
Come to Manning Orthodontics, and we’ll talk about your options and develop an orthodontic treatment plan designed just for your needs and smile goals.