Bad Habits That Can Affect Your Child's Dental Growth and Bite

Childhood Habits That Impact Dental Development: What Parents Need to Know

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Did you know that a child's face and head finishes 90% of its growth by age 7?

This is why a baby's head usually appears very large in proportion to the rest of the body. During these first 7 years, the growth of the face, jaws and teeth can be influenced by its environment and be negatively impacted by poor habits.

Our Dentists in Officer are educated on the growth and development of the face, jaws and teeth.

We are trained to pick up and educate you as a parent about these poor habits that can negatively affect the growth of your child. These habits include:

Mouth-breathing: for proper development of the upper jaw, the tongue needs to be applying pressure to the roof of the mouth. If your child is a mouth-breather, this may be due to large adenoids and tonsils obstructing the upper nasal passage. As a result, the mouth is open and the tongue is positioned in a low posture. The cheeks then pressure against the upper jaw causing it to be narrow, lengthening the face and causing dental crowding once the adult teeth erupt. Nasal breathing is required for proper growth and development of the face and jaws. Our Dentists in Officer can pick this up in your child and recommend a referral to an ENT doctor for tonsil removal if necessary, then to a myofunctional therapist to train the tongue to be placed back in its correct position for proper growth.

Thumb-sucking: children who suck on their thumb or digits for prolonged periods of time can also negatively affect the growth of the upper jaw, causing it to narrow and cause crowding. The dental bite will also be spaced at the front, also known as an anterior open bite. This can be unsightly and affect the child's ability to incise food with their front teeth. It is recommended to break these habits as soon as they are detected, and we can offer suggestions for this.

Grinding at night: children who grind and snore at night may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. This can manifest as bedwetting, hyperactivity and ADHD symptoms in children when they lack good quality sleep. It also affects their performance at school and cognitive development. At Officer Smiles, our dentists in Officer are passionate about detecting these issues early so we can correct any abnormal growth and development of a child and help them for the better.

If you detect these signs and habits in your child, please contact us on (03) 8351 5466 so we can work with you to correct these issues.

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