As parents, we may not think about how much the correct nasal breathing, established from infancy, can help our children develop a healthy face and maintain good health.
What makes our teeth clench? What should you watch out for as a parent?
When we think about orthodontics nowadays, we immediately picture teeth being moved back and forth, or straightened. Plenty of patients and parents hear that they shouldn't come to the orthodonticsuntil all the remaining teeth have grown out.
This means that in most cases, a glued-in appliance may be considered, and often tooth extraction is even necessary.
What can parents do to ensure correct facial development in infancy?
Newborn babies cannot breathe through their mouths. For this reason, it is very important to maintain nasal breathing, as a baby cannot breathe, sleep or eat with a stuffy nose.
Newborn babies only breathe through their noses until they are about 6 months old. With a blocked nose, they cannot breathe properly, which means they do not have an adequate supply of oxygen. By sucking through the nose, we open up the airways and create the conditions for relaxed rest and nourishment.
Allergic reactions and a blocked nose can develop even in infancy. These are reactions to tiny airborne particles, and are particularly common in large cities and industrialised countries. The most common allergy is to house dust.
If a newborn baby is exposed to a lot of dust (e.g. airborne dust), the immature immune system can overreact, leading to allergies. It can become persistently hypersensitive not only to the trigger but also to other proteins (e.g. milk).
For example, hay fever is more common in children born in months with high pollen concentrations - spring or summer.
Allergies and facial development
Allergies can be a consequence of:
- stuffy nose
- mouth breathing
- middle ear infections
- crowded teeth
- enlarged tonsils in the nose or throat
- sinusitis
- later undeveloped middle face
What can parents do to prevent facial developmental abnormalities?
Never leave tiny babies in dusty air. In addition, it is important to recognise that a regularly blocked nose leads to an open mouth, which is particularly harmful for the development of the face and teeth.
Thumb-sucking, sucking of multiple fingers, dummies, chewing on the corner of a blanket, and other similar habits, if present as sufficiently „persistent” stimuli, can also affect the development of the face and teeth.
Swelling of the tonsils can also make it difficult to breathe through the nose. Although it is not clear whether the swelling of the tonsils is a cause or a consequence of the mouth breathing. Either way, in some cases Removal of the tonsils brings rapid and noticeable improvement.. The child can resume nasal breathing and this brings rapid improvements in facial aesthetics and self-confidence.
Advice for parents for the correct facial development of your child
Every opportunity should be seized to encourage our children to breathe through their noses.
Little toys can also help
Put an ice cream stick between your child's lips while he or she is doing homework, watching TV or playing on the computer.
At night, the Oral Screen device can help by preventing your child from breathing through his or her mouth while asleep.
Encourage them to chew (apples, carrots, nuts, brown bread crusts, etc.)!
Orthodontic treatment
Occasionally, the upper jawbone can also be widened by orthodontic treatment, leading to a good result quickly. As the upper dental arch is bony attached to the nasal bridge, widening it also makes the airway more passable.
In severe cases, treatment should start at the age of 6-7 years at the onset of tooth replacement. In cases of moderate severity, good results can be achieved starting a little later, after the age of ten. Unfortunately, this is only possible if the child learns to keep his lips closed when at rest. Otherwise, the treatment will take a very long time and the results may not last.
If growth can be properly supported and the patient learns the correct posture, a beautiful set of teeth can be formed without extraction.
