Peddicord Family Dentistry

Peddicord Family Dentistry Dr. Erika Peddicord. Providing excellent dental care to Ankeny and the greater Des Moines area! www www.peddicordfamilydentistry.com
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Look at this smile. Adorable, right?But look closer.Do you see spaces between those baby teeth? No — and that's actually...
05/29/2026

Look at this smile. Adorable, right?
But look closer.
Do you see spaces between those baby teeth? No — and that's actually something we need to pay attention to.
Baby teeth are supposed to have gaps between them. Those spaces are nature's way of reserving room for the larger permanent teeth that are coming in behind them.
When there are no spaces — when the teeth are touching or crowded together — it tells us the jaw is already too narrow. And a narrow jaw doesn't just affect the teeth. It affects how a child breathes, how they sleep, and how their entire face develops.
This is one of the most common things I see in my practice. And it's one of the most misunderstood. Parents see tight, even baby teeth and think everything looks great. But what we're actually seeing is a jaw that needs more room.
The good news: when we catch this early — before all the permanent teeth come in — we can gently guide the jaw to grow the way nature intended. No force. No braces. Just space, and the teeth do the rest.
Does your child's smile look like this? Come in for a consultation. We'd love to take a look.
📲 Follow our airway practice on Instagram for weekly education on pediatric breathing, facial development, and sleep health.

What if your child's focus problems aren't an attention problem?Research shows that children with sleep-disordered breat...
05/22/2026

What if your child's focus problems aren't an attention problem?

Research shows that children with sleep-disordered breathing can show symptoms nearly identical to ADHD — difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, impulsivity, mood swings. And because those symptoms look the same, many children are treated for ADHD when what they actually have is a breathing problem.

Studies suggest that up to 1 in 4 children diagnosed with ADHD may also have sleep-disordered breathing. Some researchers believe the sleep deprivation itself is causing the behavioral symptoms.

I'm not saying every child with ADHD has an airway issue. But I am saying: before anything else, it's worth asking — is my child breathing well at night?

Signs to watch for:
— Snoring, even softly
— Mouth breathing during sleep
— Restless sleep or frequent waking
— Bedwetting past typical age
— Waking up tired or grumpy
— Trouble focusing at school

If you're seeing these signs, we'd love to be part of your child's care team. A conversation costs nothing. Call us or visit the link in bio.

📲 Follow our airway practice on Instagram for weekly education on pediatric breathing, facial development, and sleep health.

Six months. Just expansion. Life Changing.The image on the left is where we started. The image on the right is six month...
05/15/2026

Six months. Just expansion. Life Changing.

The image on the left is where we started. The image on the right is six months later.

Look at how much space has been created. Look at where those teeth are moving — naturally, on their own, exactly where nature intended them to go.

But here's what most people don't realize when they look at these photos: the roof of the mouth and the floor of the nasal passage are the same bone. When we expand the palate, it doesn't just create room for teeth — it literally lowers the floor of the nose, opening the nasal airway.

This child is breathing better. Not because we treated his breathing directly — but because we gave his palate room to drop down where it belongs, out of his nasal passage.

This is what early intervention looks like. This is why we don't wait.

When we give a growing jaw the room it needs, the teeth do the rest. No force required. And six months is just the beginning — this arch will continue to develop beautifully as treatment progresses.

If you have been told your child just needs to wait until all their teeth come in — I'd encourage you to get a second opinion. There is so much we can do right now, while the window is open.

Questions about what you're seeing here? Drop them in the comments — I love talking about this.

📲 Follow us on Instagram for weekly education on pediatric airway, facial development, and sleep health.

Happy Mother's Day from our team to yours. 🤍Behind every healthy smile in our office is a team that genuinely cares — ab...
05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day from our team to yours. 🤍

Behind every healthy smile in our office is a team that genuinely cares — about your family, your children, and the people who matter most to you.

Today we're celebrating the moms who raised us, the moms we've become, and all the families who trust us with their care.
From our family to yours — we hope your day is filled with love, laughter, and a little bit of rest.

Pictured with their loved ones: Dr. Peddicord, Jessica, Becca, Kimberly, Jailyn and Lindsay

Something exciting happened today!!I had the privilege of appearing on Hello Iowa to talk about one of my greatest passi...
05/08/2026

Something exciting happened today!!
I had the privilege of appearing on Hello Iowa to talk about one of my greatest passions — pediatric airway health and orthotropics.

If you've ever wondered:
— Why does my child snore?
— Why are their teeth so crowded?
— Why do they wake up tired no matter how much sleep they get?

The answer is often connected to how they breathe — and more importantly, how their jaw and face are developing.

The roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose. When a child's palate is too narrow and high, it doesn't just crowd the teeth — it actually reduces their nasal airway.

Expanding the palate creates space for teeth AND opens the airway. We see children breathe better, sleep better, and thrive.

This is what I do every day at my office. And I am so grateful for every opportunity to get this message to more Central Iowa families.

Watch the full segment here👇
https://who13.com/hello-iowa/dentist-shares-how-she-discovered-the-root-cause-of-sons-symptoms/

📲 Follow us on Instagram for weekly education on pediatric airway, facial development, and sleep health.

I became a dentist to help people have healthy mouths. But it wasn't until my own children struggled that I realized how...
05/02/2026

I became a dentist to help people have healthy mouths. But it wasn't until my own children struggled that I realized how much I didn't know.

It took watching my oldest child struggle with sleep to make me ask the question I should have been asking all along — is something bigger going on here? By the time I found the answer, the growth window had closed. I couldn't go back. But I could make sure other parents didn't face the same regret.

My son's journey showed me what was possible. He had struggled for years — chronic ear infections, allergies, never sleeping soundly. After orthotropic treatment, I watched his arch widen, his teeth come in straight without a single bracket or wire, his posture improve as his body stopped straining to find air. He finally rested. As his mom and his dentist, that meant everything.
That's why I opened Pure Facial Development. Because no parent should be where I was — watching their child struggle, not knowing there was something more they could do.

If your child snores, mouth breathes, has crowded teeth, or just seems tired all the time — I'd love to talk. Give us a call to book a consultation.

We’re talking more about airway and development! This is something I’m really passionate about. There’s more to a child...
04/24/2026

We’re talking more about airway and development! This is something I’m really passionate about.

There’s more to a child’s health than just straight teeth and I’m excited to start sharing more about it here! 

Thank you! We appreciate your review, Sean. 😍
04/24/2026

Thank you! We appreciate your review, Sean. 😍

On National Administrative Professionals Day, we’d be remiss not to give Jess a huge shout-out for keeping this office i...
04/22/2026

On National Administrative Professionals Day, we’d be remiss not to give Jess a huge shout-out for keeping this office in tip-top shape.

Our door is open to new patients.
04/21/2026

Our door is open to new patients.

Address

3720 N Ankeny Boulevard, Suite 200
Ankeny, IA
50023

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 3pm
Tuesday 8am - 3pm
Wednesday 8am - 3pm
Thursday 8am - 3pm

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