Orthodontic Growth and Development

When it comes to your children's oral health, preventive measures are the best approach to maintaining wellness.   But don't overlook orthodontic care. Today's advanced orthodontic techniques not only result in straight teeth and a beautiful smile, but also balanced facial development and enhanced airway space.   In fact, many cases of adult sleep apnea and jaw problems could have been prevented had the upper and lower jaws been developed adequately in childhood.

When a child is unable to breathe properly through his/her nose (due to allergies, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, a deviated septum, etc.) they must posture their head forward and breathe through their mouth. This alters the position of the tongue, changing the way the jaws develop. Because the mouth is open a significant amount of time, the face lengthens and the lower jaw recesses. If not managed properly, this becomes an orthodontic problem.

These photos demonstrate environmental effects on oral health. In the first photo, the young boy has a pleasing face with a balanced, lips-together posture. Not long after the photo was taken, he got a pet hamster, to which he was allergic. By 17, his oral posture had changed dramatically: open mouth, recessed lower jaw, rounded cheeks and prominent nose. All were caused by a change in his oral posture.

Exceptional orthodontic care requires more than a dental exam. Each of the factors mentioned above should be addressed.   This requires the services of an ENT to evaluate the tonsils and adenoids, an allergist and a myofunctional therapist, who will train the child to use proper oral posture.

Treatment with Biobloc

The good news? There is an solution to this problem. A cutting-edge orthodontic appliance, called a Biobloc, develops the upper and lower jaws to help create a balanced face, an open airway and room for the permanent teeth to erupt without crowding.

This case demonstrates proper jaw development with Biobloc. In the first photo, the patient strains to get her lips together due to poor oral posture. In the second photo, the patient has a well balanced face with relaxed muscles. This was accomplished in only about a year.

Biobloc treatment is   done while the child is in grade school to maximize growth potential.   Later, if needed, the teeth can be straightened with traditional orthodontics or Invisalign treatment. As you can see, straight teeth is just the icing on a very important cake!