The OP Smiles Kids Club is a structured observation program for children who aren’t ready for treatment yet, but benefit from ongoing evaluation and guidance.The OP Smiles Kids Club is a structured observation program for children who aren’t ready for treatment yet, but benefit from ongoing evaluation and guidance. Each visit is purposeful, tracking growth, monitoring development, and ensuring treatment begins at exactly the right time.
The OP Smiles Kids Club is a structured observation program for children who aren’t ready for treatment yet, but benefit from ongoing evaluation and guidance.The OP Smiles Kids Club is a structured observation program for children who aren’t ready for treatment yet, but benefit from ongoing evaluation and guidance. Each visit is purposeful, tracking growth, monitoring development, and ensuring treatment begins at exactly the right time.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends an evaluation by age seven, but not every child is ready to begin treatment right away. In many cases, the most important step is monitoring growth and waiting for the right time.
The OP Smiles Kids Club is a structured observation program for children who aren’t ready for treatment yet, but benefit from ongoing evaluation and guidance. When our orthodontists determine the timing isn’t right, your child may be placed in the Kids Club — a program designed to monitor growth and guide treatment timing.
This is not a waiting period. Each visit is purposeful, allowing us to track how the teeth, jaws, and bite are developing and determine when early guidance will have the greatest impact. Your child is seen at regular intervals so we can monitor eruption patterns, jaw development, and overall growth, ensuring treatment begins at exactly the right time for the best possible result.
At each visit, we evaluate how your child’s teeth, jaws, and bite are developing in relation to one another. We look for spacing, eruption patterns, jaw growth, and early signs of imbalance that may influence future treatment.
By monitoring these changes over time, we can guide development when needed and begin treatment at the point where it will be most effective and often less complex. This approach allows us to stay ahead of developing problems rather than reacting to them later.
When the timing is right, your child transitions from Kids Club into active orthodontic treatment with a clear, well-informed plan already in place.
Because we have been monitoring their development over time, we understand their needs in detail, allowing treatment to be more efficient, more precise, and often less complex.This approach helps us avoid unnecessary treatment and focus on what will have the greatest long-term impact.
Kids Club members earn coins for positive habits and participation, reinforcing the behaviors that support healthy development and successful treatment.
Coins can be earned for things like:
• Arriving on time for appointments
• Maintaining clean teeth and healthy gums
• Wearing appliances as instructed
• Participating in office activities
• Keeping appliances/retainers in good condition
Coins can be collected and redeemed for prizes, making each visit engaging while encouraging consistency and responsibility throughout the process.
Kids Club members are able to participate in seasonal contests and activities designed to keep visits engaging and positive. These experiences help children feel comfortable in the office and build a strong, familiar connection to their care from an early age. We believe orthodontic care should feel joyful, not stressful. For kids especially, building a positive relationship with their smile journey early on makes everything easier later.
It’s completely normal to feel uncertain when your child is not ready for treatment yet. The Kids Club is designed to give you confidence that their development is being monitored closely and thoughtfully, with decisions made at the right time.
If you ever have questions between visits, our team is always available. We want you to feel informed and confident at every stage, even if the next step is simply to continue monitoring.
We are honored to be part of your child’s smile story, from the very beginning.
Schedule a complimentary consultation at our Boone or North Wilkesboro office to better understand your child’s development and what the next step should be.
Schedule a complimentary consultation at our Boone or North Wilkesboro office to better understand your child’s development and what the next step should be.
Kids Club members are typically seen every 6 to 12 months, depending on what we are monitoring. Your child’s doctor will let you know what schedule makes the most sense for their individual development.
Initial observation visits are complimentary at OP Smiles. Our team will walk you through everything at your child’s first visit so you know exactly what to expect.
Kids Club members can earn coins for positive habits and participation, which can be saved and redeemed for prizes at the office. It’s designed to encourage consistency while making visits engaging.
That depends entirely on your child’s individual development. Some children benefit from Phase 1 treatment to guide jaw growth before all their permanent teeth arrive. Others are best served waiting for comprehensive treatment. Our doctors will give you a clear recommendation based on what they observe during your child’s Kids Club visits.
Absolutely. The Kids Club helps children become familiar with the office, the team, and the process over time. By the time treatment begins, they already feel comfortable and know what to expect, which makes the transition much easier.
