Guide your child’s smile now, before small problems grow.
Most jaw and bite problems in children can be corrected with simple early intervention — but only during the critical window between ages 6 and 10. After that, treatment becomes more complex, longer, and more expensive.
★★★★★ Cranbourne's trusted family dentist
Fill The Form Below To Get your Free Consultation!
TESTIMONIALS
What others are saying
Signs to watch for
Is your child showing
any of these signs?
These are common warning signs of airway and jaw development issues in children aged 6–10. Caught early, most are straightforward to treat.
Crowding
Overlapping or crooked teeth as adult teeth come through — a sign the jaw isn't wide enough.
Thumb Sucking
Persistent thumb sucking past age 4 can push teeth forward and narrow the upper jaw.
Dark Circles Under Eyes
Venous eye pooling often signals disrupted sleep from airway restriction — not just tiredness.
Snoring
Snoring in children is not normal. It can indicate obstructed breathing affecting brain development.
Chapped Lips
Constantly dry or chapped lips are a telltale sign of chronic mouth breathing.
Mouth Breathing
Lips apart at rest or during sleep changes jaw shape and narrows the airway over time.
WARNING SIGNS
Is your child showing
any of these signs?
Crowding
Thumb Sucking
Venous Eye Pooling
Snoring
Chapped Lips
Mouth Breathing
Fill The Form Below To Get your Free Consultation!
Why Early Treatment Matters
The numbers don't lie
Here's what we usually get asked
6–10
The critical age window for early orthodontic intervention
The Airway – Sleep Connection
Why Early Intervention?
What the research says about untreated airway issues in children
of children diagnosed with ADHD have at least one undiagnosed sleep disorder
more likely to be prescribed ADHD medication if Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) is present
Reduction in grey matter volume responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision-making & emotional regulation
What early orthodontic treatment can do in this window
Guide jaw growth naturally
Bones between ages 6–10 are still highly malleable, allowing appliances to redirect jaw development — something not possible once growth is complete.
Create space for adult teeth
Interceptive treatment prevents severe crowding before permanent teeth erupt, often eliminating the need for extractions later.
Correct crossbites & underbites early
Bite discrepancies caught now respond to simple appliances; left untreated they can require surgery in adulthood.
Address mouth breathing
Mouth breathing habits directly alter jaw shape and airway size. Early intervention breaks the cycle before structural changes become permanent.
Reduce Phase 2 complexity
Research from the AAO shows early intervention can correct up to 90% of skeletal issues that would otherwise require more extensive treatment later.
Support brain & sleep health
Expanding a narrow airway during the growth years improves overnight oxygen levels, protecting cognitive development at its most critical stage.
¹ Sleep disorders in children with ADHD — 70% prevalence. Pulmonary Therapy, 2025. PMC12373571
² Children with SDB prescribed ADHD medication at 7× higher rate. Tel Aviv University / American Friends of TAU, 2024. aftau.org
³ Grey matter volume reductions in pediatric OSA. Nature Scientific Reports, 2017. nature.com/srep44566
⁴ Phase 1 orthodontics ages 6–10 / AAO recommendations. aaoinfo.org
Our Process
How We Get Your Child Straighter, Healthier Teeth
A simple three-step journey from first contact to confident smile
Online Consultation
- Quick photo submission
- Expert review within 24 hours
- Clear yes/no recommendation
In-Chair Examination
- Digital X-rays & 3D scans
- Airway & jaw growth assessment
- Personalised treatment plan
Tailored Treatment
- Invisalign First (clear aligners for kids)
- Palatal expander therapy
- Myofunctional appliances
- Space maintainers
- Interceptive braces (where indicated)
Not every child needs treatment — but every child in this age window deserves an assessment.
The Team Behind Your Child's Smile
Meet Your Dentists
Principal Dentist & Founder
Dr Lawrence Pawar
BDS (Hons) — Aura Dentists, Cranbourne VIC
"Growing up, my mother was a dentist — yet I still didn't receive early orthodontic intervention as a child. I lived with the consequences of that missed window. That experience is exactly why I've built Aura Dentists around early prevention."
Dr Lawrence's personal story drives everything we do. Having seen firsthand what happens when the 6–10 growth window is overlooked — even in a dental household — he made early airway and orthodontic assessment a cornerstone of the practice from day one.
He has completed advanced training in orofacial myology through the Australian Academy of Orofacial Myology, and is an active member of Spear Study Club — a globally recognised dental education programme with a deep focus on airways, occlusion, and whole-health dentistry.
Associate Dentist
Dr Chloe Chandraraj
BDS (Hons) — Aura Dentists, Cranbourne VIC
Dr Chloe shares a deep commitment to early prevention dentistry. Her clinical focus centres on identifying airway and jaw development concerns in children early — before they become complex, costly problems in adulthood.
Working alongside Dr Lawrence, she brings a thorough, gentle approach to every young patient — building trust with both children and parents while delivering evidence-based care that makes a lasting difference.
Our Clinical Training & Affiliations
Orofacial Myology
Spear Study Club
gIDE Implant Education
ICDP Fellow
Invisalign Provider