KIDS MALOCCLUSION

Crooked teeth Treatment

Approximately 90 percent of children present with signs of a developing malocclusion or bite problem  (crowded teeth)

when they still have the primary teeth or, at an early age when the first adult teeth are entering into the mouth. These crowded teeth problems in many cases are associated with habits such as mouth breathing, finger sucking, pacifier use or an incorrect swallowing pattern to name a few.

Scientific studies have demonstrated that the jaws grow very rapidly during the first five years of life. For this reason, it is ideal to stimulate the growth and development of the jaws at this age to give more room to the adult teeth.

Several techniques have been developed to intercept developing bite problems (crowded teeth) at an early age, even when the baby teeth are still present in the child´s mouth.
Problems affecting the child´s bite may lead to more severe problems such as sleep and breathing disorders.

Recent scientific evidence has demonstrated that an incorrect function of the tongue, known as tongue-tie, and deviations in the normal growth and development of the jaws in children can lead to obstructive sleep apnea.

At Dutton Dentistry, Dr. Nehal is interested in providing oral health to your child. That means not only taking care of your child´s teeth, but also, guiding facial growth and development, to intercept developing problems and prevent other issues that may develop later.

One of the first steps in life which can prevent problems in a child´s bite is breastfeeding. In addition to all of the known nutritional and immunological benefits given to the newborn through breastfeeding, the movements produced by the lower jaw and the pushing of the tongue in order to suck the milk stimulate the growth of both the upper and lower jaws.

To produce the best effect, the baby should be sitting on the mother’s lap with the head in a vertical position. No lying down!!

Some babies may have difficulty sucking or hurt mother’s breast during breastfeeding. This could be caused by a tongue-tie, a heavy lip frenulum or both! At Dutton Dentistry, we will evaluate whether there is a problem which may create difficulty during breastfeeding.

Sucking habits, such as sucking a finger, or using a pacifier can also lead to deviations from the normal growth of a child´s jaws.

The intensity, frequency and duration of a habit may determine the severity of the changes caused in normal facial and jaw growth and development. Also, these habits may alter the functions of the mouth and stimulate mouth breathing.

The function of the mouth is to chew, and that of the nose is to breathe!!

When the teeth start entering in the mouth, the baby is ready to move from a liquid diet to a soft diet. Then, when all 20 baby teeth are present in the mouth, your child is ready to chew all kinds of foods.

This means that, the child is able to chew harder food (eg. fruits with fiber, vegetables and meat).

It is important to stimulate more chewing by offering these harder foods to your child. Chewing is the best exercise to produce healthy jaws and teeth!

Dr. German O. Ramírez-Yáñez
D.D.S., Pedo. Cert., M.D.Sc., PhD, FRCD