Pediatric Dentistry
Watching growth is the head start
Growth and alignment are checked at every routine visit, so you will always know where things stand long before any decision is due. That is the quiet advantage of orthodontics inside a pediatric practice: nobody has to notice a problem late, because someone qualified has been watching the whole time.
It also means orthodontics never arrives as a surprise. If something is worth watching, you hear about it early, in plain words, at a regular checkup.
Meet the orthodontist down the hall
When the time is right, Dr. Whitesides, our orthodontist, takes it from there. Comprehensive orthodontic care is offered at the Fort Myers office, which means the handoff from pediatric dentist to orthodontist is a walk down the hall, not a referral across town to a stranger's waiting room.
Booking is one quick call.
One number reaches both offices, Monday to Friday 8 to 5. Your child's health details stay in a conversation with our front desk, never typed into a website.
The usual order of things
Early evaluations, sometimes as young as 7 or 8 when growth calls for it, in line with the American Association of Orthodontists’ guidance that children have an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7. Most early evaluations end with watch and wait, and that is a good result: it means timing is on your side.
Space maintainers, when a baby tooth leaves too soon and the adult tooth behind it needs its parking spot held.
Traditional braces, after the baby teeth are shed and the adult smile is ready to be guided.
Retainers, to keep the finished smile exactly where the braces left it.
Questions to bring to a growth check
Parents usually want to know three things: is anything wrong, when would treatment start if so, and what happens if we wait. All three get direct answers at any routine visit, no separate consultation required to ask. If your child's dentist sees something worth an orthodontic evaluation, you will hear the reason, not just the recommendation.
Curious what the team has to say about braces? Their braces announcement video is in The Shallows, our video section, alongside the office tours.
One call starts the conversation
Whether your child is due for a growth check or you have a specific worry about crowding, spacing or a bite, the path is the same: (239) 482-2722, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. One number reaches both offices, and the front desk will set your child up at the right one. The full picture of everything we do is on the services page.
Parents ask us
When should my child first see an orthodontist?
Growth and alignment are already checked at every routine dental visit here, so the honest answer is: your child is being screened all along. A dedicated early evaluation is sometimes right around age 7 or 8 when growth calls for it, and your pediatric dentist will tell you if and when that applies.
Does an early evaluation mean early braces?
Usually not. Most early evaluations end in watch and wait, which costs nothing and commits you to nothing. When early treatment is genuinely worthwhile, it is because growth offers a window that is easier to use now than later, and that reasoning gets explained to you, not assumed.
Which office does orthodontics?
Comprehensive orthodontic care is offered at the Fort Myers office, where Dr. Whitesides practices. Growth checks happen at routine visits in both Fort Myers and Naples, so nothing gets missed no matter which office your family calls home.
My child still has baby teeth. Is it too early to ask?
It is never too early to ask, and with baby teeth still in, the most common answers are reassuring ones: watching, holding space when a tooth leaves early, and letting growth do its work. Bring any question to the next checkup, or call and ask ahead: (239) 482-2722.
Ready to set sail?
A real human answers, Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm. New patient forms arrive ahead of time, no clipboard scramble.
Call (239) 482-2722