Did you know?
- A narrow palate is also associated with narrow airways and less space to breathe through the nose.
- An upper arch that is too narrow can also restrict the growth of the lower jaw and allow skeletal jaw deformities.
- People with an underdeveloped lower jaw are more susceptible to having jaw joint problems later in life.
- An abnormal swallowing pattern or breathing through the mouth can completely affect the way that the jaws and the face develop.
- A problem that is not corrected early will rarely self-correct and often gets worse as your child grows older.
At our dental clinic we believe in intercepting problems early while a child is actively growing, to assure that development be as normal as possible. At young age, bones are still soft and easily malleable and there is a great potential for correcting problems and guiding the most favorable jaw development. It is also easier for children to adapt to new appliances and get rid of bad habits at a younger age.
By the age of 12, the growth of the face and skull is already complete at 90%
Therefore, some treatments are best started on patients between 10 and 11 years old and for others it can be suitable to begin as early as 5 years old.
Why early orthodontic intervention?
Many things can affect the normal growth of cranial and jaw bones of children. Environmental factors like chronic allergies, bad habits like thumb sucking or mouth breathing and even hereditary factors can play a role in how the jaws will grow.
In the early intervention approach, treatments are performed in one or two phases. In the first phase, our goal is to help our young patients to grow and to develop their jaws, palate, muscles and tongue naturally in a more favorable position. Once the adult teeth have grown in, a second phase may be required for tooth straightening and alignment if necessary. However, for some patients only the first phase is required.
