We all love our children and want the very best for them, but an astounding 75% of them develop crowded teeth and incorrect jaw alignment.
The standard advice given to parents is to wait until all the permanent teeth have erupted, usually about the age of 12 years, before embarking on an orthodontic pathway.
This really does not make sense as growth and development of the mid-face is completed by this time!
Myofunctional (muscle) habits such as:
are the REAL CAUSES of crooked teeth.
It is now very well documented that many children display and adopt abnormal muscle habits of the lips, cheeks and tongue in the early stages of life.
These bad habits adversely affect jaw development and hence the positioning of erupting teeth, by limiting the child’s normal forward facial growth.
Dentists and Orthodontists are becoming increasingly aware that when a child’s teeth are crooked, their facial growth and development is negatively affected.
O’Connor Dental Health is the first Dental Practice in the country to link these destructive oral habits, particularly Mouth Breathing and Low Tongue Posture, to many of the associated and avoidable health problems. We offer a comprehensive strategy to correct these habits, thereby enhancing the health of the individual.
When ignored, they are responsible for orthodontic relapse and instability at least, and many of the supposed ‘unconnected’ health problems at a much more serious and worrying level.
Did you know?
Early orthodontic treatment can be simpler, shorter and more favourable than treating at a later age. In children, dental cross-bite does not always cause facial lob-sideness or abnormal jaw movement. However, if facial lop-sideness is present it will worsen during growth without orthodontic treatment.
The above graph demonstrates that while very little force is required to move a front tooth, the lower lip alone can exert an inward force of up to 300gms on the teeth (over 150 times greater than moving a tooth with an orthodontic appliance!) and that the tongue can exert up to 500gms of force on the teeth (Over 250 times greater than moving a tooth with an orthodontic appliance!). This means that the teeth will sit into whatever position they get pushed!