Habits that are detrimental to the correct growth and development of the jaws in children go unnoticed by most parents. These include mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, lip biting, prolonged thumb sucking or excessive pacifier use and bite interferences to mention a few. If detected early, these can be stopped early before they cause irreversible effects in the teeth, jaw bones and joints.
We are specialized in Dentofacial Orthopaedics which is all about assessing and correcting the development of children’s teeth and jaw bones. We recommend to begin this assessment at the age of 7 as some dental misalignments, jaw imbalances and habits are better to be identified and corrected early.
Imbalance in the growth of the jaw bones can be corrected easily by guiding the growth in the right direction if found early enough, before your child has completed their growth peak. Unfortunately, a lot of children are seen after their growth peak is complete and the bones can no longer be guided. In such cases only the teeth can be treated and only so much can be done to make the situation better. In severe cases, surgery may be an option to correct the jaw bones.
Certain teeth misalignment such as severe crowding and cross bites should be assessed and corrected early to prevent bigger problems. Early detection and correction will ensure better facial structure and dentition as the kids grow up.
We believe that we can give your child a good start in life. We do not limit treatment to just providing them with good teeth and gums but also look at a bigger long-term picture to ensure proper dental alignment, good jaw balance and pleasing profile which goes a long way in building the Child’s self-esteem and confidence.
This is what the tongue thrusting habit looks like. Look familiar?
Focus in the front teeth on the bottom jaw. Notice the rotation of the teeth after extracting to make space. Move the Slider left and right to compare before and after to see the difference.
