Habits leading to dental and jaw abnormalities in children

Oral habits and dental malformations are the factors that make the child need orthodontic treatment in the period of mixing milk and permanent teeth (6 to 12 years) in the mouth. This level of treatment is called preventive orthodontics. In this article, we are talking about dental and jaw abnormalities in children who need orthodontic treatment.

Preventive orthodontics

  Preventive orthodontics is performed when the time for preventive orthodontic treatments has passed, but we still have time until the child’s puberty. At this time, we can direct the movement pattern of the jaw and teeth to the natural path by using functional devices.

Because when a person enters the stage of maturity and it is no longer possible to change the position of the jaw with orthodontics, it is only possible to arrange the teeth by using fixed orthodontic wires and brackets, and if the person needs to move horizontally or If there is a vertical jaw, there is no solution other than complex surgery.

Cases requiring orthodontic treatment

It is recommended that if parents notice symptoms such as the following in their child, they should immediately consult their dentist in Windsor for diagnosis and treatment so that they can be referred to a specialist if necessary:

• Protruding chin or protrusion of lower jaw teeth.
• Retracted chin or protrusion of upper jaw teeth.
• Excessive concavity or convexity of the face with the help of examining the child’s profile.
• Distortion of the face while stopping or closing the mouth.
• Shifting or crowding of teeth.
• Excessive overlap of anterior teeth.
• The distance between the upper and lower molars when the mouth is closed.

  Reverse overlapping, so that the teeth of the lower jaw cover the teeth of the upper jaw at the back of the mouth.

subversive habits

Also, there are a series of oral habits in some children, which if continued after the age of five, cause abnormalities in the child’s maxillofacial system, such as:

• Grinding teeth while sleeping and unconsciously
• Pressing the teeth together unconsciously
• Sucking fingers, especially the thumb
• Sucking or biting the lip
• Constant wetting of the lips or tongue
• biting nails
• Mouth breathing with the symptom of closing the mouth, especially during sleep
• Placing the tongue between the teeth, especially when swallowing and the mouth is closed
• Also self-harm of psychological origin

Treatment of children’s oral habits

Therapy award

To treat children’s oral habits, we first use the reward therapy method that is, by talking to the child and giving him convincing explanations, we gradually encourage the child to quit the habit. In this way, a table is prepared and an appointment is made with the child, for example, every day he does not perform this action, he will get a mark on this table, and if the number of spots reaches, for example, five numbers, the child will receive a gift from the parents or your dentist will receive.

Reminder

Giving successive warnings or frowning or getting angry in this way will reverse the result. If this process is unsuccessful, we use the reminder method. In this way, we put a mark on, for example, the finger that the child is sucking, so that when he wants to suck it, he will be reminded that this can hurt him.

Habit breaker

  Finally, the use of habit-breaking devices is recommended when none of the above methods have been effective and the child needs a physical barrier to break the habit. This way, after molding the mouth, a device is made for the patient, which can be used fixedly or for mobility for several hours a day, depending on the child’s cooperation. For example, wire nets and rings that are embedded in the device prevent the child from sucking the finger. The duration of using the device also varies depending on the results.