The aim of interceptive orthodontics is to intervene as early as possible in a child’s development in order to establish nasal breathing with lips closed and correct swallow. Research has shown that most of the child’s cognitive development occurs by the age of 7. If the child is chronically mouth breathing, s/he will be taking up 20% less oxygen and will affect the cognitive and emotional development. It can cause SDB (sleep disordered breathing) and result in behavioural problems.
The SAAMS group include Myobrace Practitioners in all provinces who practice airway centric interceptive orthodontics and do so in collaboration with ENT’s , CST’s, Chiropractors, Speech Therapists, amongst others.
Growth guidance orthodontic techniques can help children grow and develop to their full genetic potential by focusing on the big three: nasal breathing, lip seal, and proper tongue posture.
It is critical to your child’s proper facial growth, airway development and jaw joint health that the child consistently and exclusively breathes through the nose and maintains proper oral rest posture (lips together, tongue up, teeth together), and that all damaging myofunctional (oral and tongue) habits are eliminated.
Tongue position is largely responsible for the normal growth and development of the face and jaws. The tongue is a powerful muscle and should rest against the upper palate (roof of mouth) and cause the upper jaw to broaden and grow forward in a healthy and aesthetically appealing manner. When this does not happen, because of mouth breathing, open-mouth posture or tongue tie, the midface does not grow properly, and the lower face narrows and elongates.
Mouth breathing can also become a habit that remains once the obstruction is eliminated.
Normal facial growth and development is reliant upon proper nasal breathing, lip seal, and proper tongue posture.
Watch Dr Anne-Maree Cole’s video about Facial Growth and Development and Working in Harmony with Nature – Dr Randi Green studies and trains under physiologic dentist, Dr Anne-Maree Cole at the Las Vegas Institute.
The Prevention of Sleep Apnea in children and adults. The answer may surprise you.
Our bodies working in harmony with nature. Physiologic dentistry looks to the root cause of malocclusion.
If you have time watch this one too. It’s almost one hour long, but we think what Dr Cole says is too important to not share.
The causes of mouth breathing include:
Mouth breathing doesn’t look good, but more importantly, it can lead to:
Not only do mouth breathing and poor oral rest posture cause changes in facial growth, they also impact the child’s long-term health because the jaws, palate and airway develop abnormally and can lead to:
The photograph above shows a boy at the age of ten. He breathes through his nose and has a well-developed face. Everything is proportional and the boy has well-defined eyes, cheekbones, lips and chin. When he was 14, he got a gerbil and developed an allergy that left him with a stuffy nose, which caused him to start breathing through his mouth.
The photos in the middle and on the right show the same boy at the age of 17. Breathing through his mouth caused his face to grow downward instead of forward, making his face long and narrow. His nose looks larger and his chin is narrow because his upper and lower jaws did not grow forward. * Photos courtesy of Dr. John Mew
In some cases, more durable appliances are necessary to intervene with under developing jaws. Different types of fixed and removable expanders can be used to stimulate the production of new bone, and to model and shape existing bone. This expansion treatment enhances our ability to:
Mouth breathing, open mouth posture and tongue positioning habits are known to have a very destructive influence on a child’s developing face. Without the scaffolding effect of the tongue resting on the palate, the maxilla deforms in three dimensions and changes the shape of the lower half of the face, causing:
Achieving proper tongue posture and function by proactively addressing mouth breathing requires addressing nasal and pharyngeal patency first. Once, nasal breathing and proper oral posture have been re-established, it is possible to reverse the facial defects that have begun to develop in the small child with the help of myofunctional exercises and soft appliances. These tools can be used to correct the trajectory of growth, and this can have dramatic effects on the face, jaw, and airway.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to wait to address orthodontic issues in children. We can intercept as early as a few months in babies with our appliances. Call us today for a consultation and remember it is never too early to get your child on the right track to normal facial development.