Did you know orthodontics could be critical to your whole health?
Orthodontics
Monitoring your child’s tooth and jaw development should begin early; because by age 6, approximately 90% of head growth and about 89% of jaw growth is complete. Guiding and rebalancing jaw growth and tooth development is much easier and more successful when you are working with your child’s growth spurts. The challenge is to guide young jaws and teeth in normal adult jaws and teeth. Waiting until the permanent teeth are all in and jaw growth is complete can prevent optimum results and end in compromised treatment.
The Teeth, The Jaws and Breathing
More than wearing retainers is necessary for teeth to remain straight after orthodontics. Being able to breathe through one’s nose and being able to swallow properly are the real stabilizers of teeth. This is true for children or adults. In children, it is definitely a two-way street. Proper development of the jaws, face and teeth depends upon good airway development. Vice versa: For a child to be able to breath easily through their nose depends on good jaw, tooth and facial growth.
Swallowing and Jaw Growth
Growth is a series of actions. A proper swallow, with the tongue against the roof of the mouth is a critical action. A proper swallow helps the upper jaw to broaden and make room for the teeth. At the same time the upper jaw broadens, it drops and flattens. This in turn opens the nasal airway because the palate and the floor of the nose are the same bone. This is the normal sequence. Mother Nature is amazing! But, being tongue-tied, having a tongue thrust swallow or having allergies are some things, which can disrupt this normal sequence. As a result, we see narrow jaws, crowded teeth and long faces among many other growth imbalances.
Jaws and Headaches
There are about 300 reasons for headaches. Jaw joint dysfunctions and jaw-tooth imbalances are often overlooked as the cause for chronic headaches or migraines. This has been known for at least one hundred years. When jaw joints or teeth are out of sync with the chewing and swallowing muscles, they are forced into strained positions. This results in pain in the face, head neck and back. Sometimes these jaw imbalances are the sole cause of one’s headaches; other times, it is a one of several factors. In orthodontic treatment, the jaws should be developed and the teeth should be arranged so that they look aesthetic and are also in comfortable harmony with the jaw joints and muscles.
Jaws and Snoring
Snoring is often a call for help at any age. It can be a sign of a sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. These disorders can increase one’s risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and insulin resistance. Snoring alone is often hard on the heart and the brain when low blood oxygen levels accompany it. Snoring and low blood oxygen has been associated with poor school performance in children. Snoring and or sleep apnea in children can alter their growth in many ways. These breathing disturbances can reduce the amount of growth hormone produced, and about 75% of growth hormone is produced at night. The combination of a poor breathing pattern, low oxygen and reduced growth hormone can negatively alter the growth of your child’s jaws, teeth and face in numerous ways.