One of the most common questions I get from parents is whether their children will need braces. These treatments, which are both long and costly, may not be accepted by some children. Although alternative and aesthetic solutions to braces have been produced today, as a parent, you can direct your child’s jaw and face development correctly. In this article, I will talk about beliefs that are often misunderstood and methods that you can easily apply in daily life.
1. Baby teeth will fall out at the age of 7, it doesn’t matter if they are caries.
There are 20 milk teeth and they are replaced by permanent teeth at certain intervals from 7 to 13 years old. This period is called the “mixed dentition period”. The mineral structure of milk teeth is different from permanent teeth; Therefore, the bruise progresses faster. In the mixed dentition period, the bacteria that cause caries in the primary teeth are transmitted to the permanent teeth and the permanent teeth that are in the eruption stage begin to decay rapidly. Early milk tooth loss, interface caries, chewing surface losses cause deterioration of the jaw structure and crooked teeth during the developmental period of your child. Milk teeth form the basis of properly aligned and healthy permanent teeth. If this foundation is not laid firmly, dental treatments will become increasingly difficult.
2. My child sleeps with his mouth open at night, his nose is stuffy because he is always sick.
The unused organ becomes atrophied. Breathing should be taken through the nose and exhaled through the nose. Breathing through the nose of sick children is an important step in the recovery of the disease. You can use sea water or nasal wash solutions for this, and you can also do nose opening exercises (see my previous article). The tongue and neck muscles of the child who breathes through the mouth develop incorrectly and face, jaw and spine problems may occur.
3. All milk teeth must fall out in order to wear braces
Today, not only braces are used to correct dental crowding. From the age of 3, chin development guidance, exercises or treatments with clear plates can be applied. You can consult a pedodontist to follow the development of the jaw and teeth from the age of 1 at the latest, and to intervene if necessary.
4. My child should be fed softly so that the fillings in his teeth do not fall out.
Dental fillings are materials that are adhered to tooth surfaces within the appropriate physics and chemistry rules. If the filling is insufficient, your dentist will tell you about milk tooth veneers. However, eating soft, purees, squeezing fruit juices hinders the development of the jaws of children and the teeth cannot fit in the underdeveloped jaw. So make sure your child eats hard foods (carrots, apples, nuts, peanuts, meat) that they can chew.
5. If my child does not have a speech problem, there is no tongue tie.
Tongue tie can be diagnosed and intervened from birth. The first symptom of tongue-tie is difficulty in sucking, rejection of the breast, and colic symptoms.
Problems that can be caused by tongue-tie in the developmental period:
- Jaw and facial development
- speech and phonation
- mouth breathing
- tension in neck muscles
- Jaw joint problems
Tongue tie operation is a minor operation and can be easily intervened. Although braces are considered for aesthetic purposes, our priority is health. Health starts with the mouth.
Stay healthy.
