Your child may have crooked teeth when they have crowded teeth or misaligned growth of new tooth. It could be genetic in the sense when a child inherits the mother’s large teeth or the father’s smaller jaw. The problem begins when the teeth begins to grow and fight for its position because there is not enough space for them in the arch of the mouth. This can lead to crowded teeth.
But there are also other contributing factors for crowded teeth and that is-having bad oral habits. Most of these factors leave parents and children unaware of the simple habit they do that is slowly moving the teeth to shift to its position.
1. Thumb sucking. Your baby may be cute when they stick his or her fingers on her mouth but if you let them thumb-suck any longer, this will put pressure on the upper front teeth and pushes them out. Not only that, it will also put pressure on the lower teeth to push backward. In some cases, extra tooth develops where there is no more enough room so crowding occurs.
2. Breathing through the mouth. Habitual mouth breathing can affect the way your child’s face and teeth develop. Mouth breathers rest their tongues on the top of their mouths, causing cheek muscles to rest on the upper teeth. The sequence can cause the upper jaw to become narrow, leading to crooked teeth.
3. Tongue thrust. Also known as babies poking out their tongues when nursing with breast or bottle. This habit should only last in the infant stage but if your son or daughter continues to tongue trust, this could lead to crowded teeth. You can be a tongue thrust swallower when your tongue pushes forward when swallowing. In a normal swallow, the tongue should rest in the palate.
4. Prolonged use of pacifier or feeding bottle. This is also another form of sucking in infants. Long term sucking can cause the upper front teeth to slant out and cause the upper and lower jaws to be misaligned. Pacifiers should be avoided up to the age of two where the dental effect starts to show up.
Having presented the main causes of crooked teeth you’ll be glad to know to there is hope for your child’s crooked teeth!
The no-brace approach called the Myobrace System is designed for children to help them get that normal straight teeth and jaws. This is achieved by wearing a removable Myobrace for just 1 to 2 hours each day and overnight while sleeping.
At Green Apple Dental/MRC Clinic, they use myofunctional orthodontic techniques to correct these poor oral habits and the result is straighter teeth that lead to a healthier smile and optimal facial development. Below is a photo of one of Green Apple’s dental patients who had successfully correct dental misalignment through Myobrace.
