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Not all orthodontic practices are the same. Here's what Providence parents should actually look for when choosing an orthodontist for their child — and why it matters more than you might think.
If you're a parent in Providence searching for an orthodontist for your child, you're probably looking at reviews, checking locations, and comparing prices. All of that matters. But there are a few things that rarely come up in a Google search that can make a profound difference in your child's long-term health — not just the straightness of their teeth.
The orthodontic field has changed significantly in recent years. New research from sleep physicians, ENTs, and orthodontists has made it increasingly clear that how teeth are positioned and how the jaws grow has a direct impact on how a child breathes, sleeps, and functions throughout their life.
An orthodontist who is thinking about airway and breathing health isn't just trying to make your child's smile look nice. They're thinking about whether the treatment plan will give your child enough room in their mouth and airway to breathe well for decades to come. That's a fundamentally different orientation than simply aligning teeth.
When I was practicing cosmetic dentistry just outside of Boston, I started noticing that many of my patients who wanted veneers or had broken down their teeth were also dealing with breathing disorders and sleep issues. I eventually realized I had them myself — issues that traced back to orthodontic treatment I'd had as a kid that straightened my teeth but didn't address my underlying airway needs. That realization is what led me to go back to residency and become an orthodontist focused on airway-driven care.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children see an orthodontist by age seven. Most seven-year-olds don't need treatment. But some do — and the window for certain interventions is narrow.
Forward growth of the upper jaw ends between ages seven and nine. If a child's upper jaw is developing too narrowly or isn't in the right position relative to their lower jaw, there are straightforward things we can do at age seven or eight that become far more complicated — or impossible without surgery — by the time they're twelve or thirteen.
An orthodontist who tells you to "come back when all the permanent teeth are in" isn't necessarily wrong for every child. But if your child has signs of mouth breathing, crowding, a narrow palate, or a bite that doesn't look quite right, getting an early evaluation is worth the trip.
It used to be very common to extract healthy permanent teeth to make room for others. The thinking has shifted. For many children, early palate expansion can create enough room that extraction of healthy teeth is never necessary. It's not always avoidable, but an orthodontist who defaults to extractions without first exploring expansion — especially in younger patients — may be taking a more aggressive approach than is necessary.
Some orthodontists prefer to wait and do a single round of treatment. For many patients, that's fine. But for children who have real jaw discrepancies, significant crowding, airway concerns, or bites that aren't developing correctly, a single-phase approach can mean more invasive treatment later — or missing a window that doesn't come back.
The right answer isn't always Phase 1 and Phase 2. But an orthodontist who never does Phase 1 treatment is making a blanket decision that doesn't account for the unique needs of each child's developing bite and airway.
Beyond clinical philosophy, a few practical things matter when you're choosing an orthodontist for your child in Providence:
Dr. Courtney Lavigne grew up in North Kingstown and trained at the University of Connecticut and Tufts University. She is the only practitioner in the country who is both a board-certified orthodontist and an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry — a distinction held by fewer than 1% of dentists worldwide.
Her approach to every patient starts with airway and breathing health, followed by growth modification in children where appropriate, and always with an eye toward both dental and facial aesthetics. She treats patients from all over the Providence area, including the East Side, Wayland Square, College Hill, Pawtucket, and Barrington.
If you'd like to schedule an early evaluation for your child, we'd be glad to meet your family.
