Pediatric orthodontics deals with the diagnosis, prevention and guidance of proper tooth growth and jaw development.
By properly directing the growth of teeth and jaw development in early childhood, we can often avoid orthodontic braces altogether or at least make the therapy shorter and simpler. Irregular jaw growth is often the result of genetic factors, mouth breathing, bad oral habits such as thumb sucking or improper swallowing. In childhood, the focus is therefore on jaw orthopedics. With the help of removable braces, we control the balance of jaw development (we encourage or slow down the growth of the upper and/or lower jaw), which ultimately results in the best possible chewing relationships with coordinated facial relationships.
How do orthodontic anomalies arise?
The causes of orthodontic anomalies are mostly a combination of genetic (hereditary) and acquired (external causes). The heritability for most human facial features ranges between 40% and 60%, which shows that irregular teeth are also partly inherited. For example, we can inherit the number of teeth, the absence of certain teeth, the size of the teeth, the relationship between the jaws, and the size of the jaw. Some current generations do not have the germs of certain permanent teeth, most often wisdom teeth or the second upper incisor.
External causes are those that you as parents can influence and thus alleviate or prevent orthodontic anomalies at a later age.
One of the common causes of orthodontic anomalies is the premature loss of baby teeth, which serve to make room for permanent successors. With premature loss of baby teeth, permanent teeth do not erupt in a directed manner and there is less and less room left in the oral cavity for them.
Also, because we eat soft food, which we hardly chew, the jaws do not receive proper stimulation for growth. This results in reduced jaw size, weak motor skills and chewing muscles, and as a result, we have an incidence of orthodontic irregularities in more than 80% of school children.
Early recognition and elimination of bad habits such as improper (infantile) swallowing, prolonged thumb or pacifier sucking, mouth breathing, nail biting or other objects, and improper posture can significantly alleviate or prevent the development of orthodontic anomalies.
At what age do children start wearing braces and when should they be examined by an orthodontist?
The time to start directing tooth growth is in kindergarten or early school age, and we most often recommend that parents visit an orthodontist when the child turns 7 years old.
Jaw development and tooth growth are different for every child. Therefore, the first visit to the orthodontist does not immediately mean the start of orthodontic therapy. First of all, the goal of the first examination is to assess the basic growth of the jaw and whether the child needs orthodontic therapy or if only orthodontic monitoring is possible.
Predicting orthodontic therapy in children is challenging and it is always necessary to precisely choose the best time for each phase of orthodontic treatment. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to wait until the child reaches a certain age.
Orthodontic therapy for children – interceptive therapy
Orthodontic therapy that “works with growth,” that is, begins during a period of intensive growth of the child, is called interceptive orthodontic therapy. This therapy involves educating the parents and the child on how to perform exercises for the facial and tongue muscles in order to eliminate improper functions and correct harmful habits. It also involves removing the contacts of the baby teeth that lead the jaws into a forced position and thus inhibit their proper growth and development. At an early age we correct the relationships between the jaws, solve bad habits, correct irregularities in bite height, swallowing and speech, and save space for unerupted permanent teeth. The time of the onset of intensive growth in a child is individual, and the goal of orthodontic therapy is to stimulate or slow down the growth of the upper and/or lower jaw during this period and to ensure balance in the development of the jaw.
MOBILE DENTAL APPLIANCES FOR INTERCEPTIVE THERAPY:
Bimaxillary removable braces for children
Bimaxillary or one-piece removable braces consist of a single device that simultaneously covers and affects both the upper and lower jaws. They are made of plastic or rubber, and can be in various colors or transparent. Bimaxillary removable braces will stimulate, accelerate, or slow down the development of the jaw and teeth, thus preventing their irregular growth.
We often use them, among other things, to correct growth irregularities that occur as a result of thumb or pacifier sucking.
Monomaxillary removable braces for children
Monomaxillary or two-piece removable braces for children consist of two devices, one for each jaw. They are made of an acrylic base to which steel wires are attached. The acrylic base can also be made in various colors, which makes young patients very happy and motivates them to wear the braces. The upper and lower parts of the monomaxillary braces actively affect the teeth. Using steel wires, clips and screws, they, for example, widen the dental arches or rotate the teeth and thus direct their growth. They are particularly useful in the case of premature loss of a baby tooth. In this case, it is important to save space for a permanent tooth that has not yet erupted.
Our orthodontic specialists will conduct an individual assessment for each child, determine the order of treatment for identified growth irregularities, and set up an orthodontic therapy that is tailored to the little patient. Early identification and treatment of problems can prevent long-term, more complex procedures in the future and ensure proper jaw and tooth development.
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