This is a paid piece from Barrow Orthodontics.

Simplified: When it comes to straightening your teeth (or your children's), who you work with matters. And with a 40-year track record, Barrow Orthodontics is a group you can trust to safely move teeth while protecting the bones – keeping health and wellbeing at the forefront. Here's why that's especially important when it comes to young kids.

Why it matters

  • Doctors Keri Barrow and Lauren Witte recommend kids come in for a complimentary screening once they turn 7 years old. It's important to see kids at a young age because then it's easier to correct something like a cross-bite or teeth that aren't coming in as they should. That said, Barrow has worked with patients as old as 86 and everyone in-between.
  • What sets Barrow Orthodontics apart is the clinic's specialized care and professional knowledge of how teeth can move through bone. Owner Keri Barrow and her team are on top of the latest orthodontic technologies and practices, and Barrow herself serves as chairperson for the special committee of women orthodontists within the American Association of Orthodontists.
  • Orthodontics isn't just about aesthetics, either. Properly aligned teeth can prevent the need for dental restorations down the road, as well as ensuring teeth can be adequately cleaned. Plus, a nice, stable bite is important in everyday life, Barrow said.
"My hope would be that people get orthodontics as a young person and do a great job with their retainers and never have to go through orthodontics again," Barrow said. "Not only that, but also that they don't have to pay for crowns and bridges and other periodontal problems."

Tell me more about Barrow

Dr. Kevin Horner, Keri Barrow's dad, first opened the practice – then called Horner Orthodontics – in 1984. Earlier this year, Barrow Orthodontics transitioned to second-generation leadership when Keri Barrow and associate Lauren Witte took over the practice. In addition to its Sioux Falls location, Barrow also operates satellite practices in Luverne, Minn. and Freeman, S.D.

  • Orthodontists go through an additional two and a half to three years of training beyond dental school, where they learn how to monitor the development of a growing mouth, how to measure the jaw and the limitations of how far teeth can actually move through bone.
"We can only push the teeth so far before we’re moving them outside of the gum tissue and bone," Barrow said. "Orthodontists are specialists who know the limitations of the tooth movements, and we know how to deal with challenges that can arise with tooth movement."

Barrow and Witte also customize treatments to each patient. They use artificial intelligence, modeling and 3D printing to print clear liners in-house.

"We have all the technology to move the teeth digitally in our office, then we can send the 3D models to our printers," Barrow said.

How do I get started?

Set up a complimentary exam by calling the Barrow Orthodontics office at 605-335-6680. You can also text "SMILE" to that same number to schedule an appointment, or schedule online.

If you take a young child in for their exam, and there's nothing to be done, that's totally fine, Witte said. Nothing has to happen beyond that exam except ensuring teeth continue to develop and grow.

  • But if you don't identify problems at a young age, treatments get trickier in the future, she added.
"There's no negative component for coming in," Witte said. "It's a complimentary exam."