Facial Growth Orthodontics
Facial Growth Orthodontics contributes to facial aesthetics by promoting proper upper jaw and mid-face development. Many parents are well aware of the specific milestones that their children should reach during the first eighteen months of life. However, there are several important growth and development factors that must be evaluated during the first decade of life.
Patient Resources
Patient Registration
Please preregister with our office by printing out our registration paperwork and returning it to our office prior to your scheduled appointment if time permits. The paperwork can be returned to us via email, mail, or fax. Should you have previous records you would like to forward to us, please contact your former dental office to authorize the release of records.
When can I schedule a visit?
Palmetto Smiles of Beaufort is open Monday and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We will reserve your appointment as promptly as possible. If you have pain or an emergency situation, every attempt will be made to see you that day.
Is there a waiting list?
If your preferred appointment time is not available, we will still reserve an appointment for you, while working to get you in at your preferred time.
Role of Dentist in Facial Growth Orthodontics
Surprisingly it is your child’s dentist who becomes the guardian of normal facial growth and development. The role of your dentist is more than just taking care of your child’s teeth. The goal of most every dentist is to monitor and guide the growth and development of young children to achieve the following with Facial Growth Orthodontics:
- A Pleasing Face which equals Optimal Esthetics
- A Beautiful “Full Smile”
- A Normal and Functional Bite
- No TMJ Problems
- A Lifetime of Oral Health
Optimal Esthetics
Many parents may be unaware that 60% of their child’s facial development is completed by age 8, and 90% by age 12. Therefore, the earlier your child visits a dentist, the better the opportunity to detect and correct any growth and development issues.
Facial growth is the sum of the individual growth of each bone comprising the face. Several factors can cause unequal facial growth, impacting a child’s health and appearance. A balanced face is the result of more than just bone growth; it involves the harmony of normally functioning muscles, proper nutrition, and the ability to breathe normally. Scientific literature and studies have shown that when these delicate balances are altered, changes in health and appearance occur.
Compromised Airway
One common abnormality in a child’s facial growth and development is caused by a compromised airway, or simply put, the inability to breathe properly through the nose. Children who cannot breathe well through their noses tend to breathe through their mouths. This sets up a chain of events that may severely impact not only the child’s health but also the development of their facial features and, ultimately, their appearance as an adult. The most common causes of altered breathing are:
- Enlarged Adenoids
- Enlarged Tonsils
- Deviated Septum (Nasal Obstruction)
- Allergies
- Chronic Sinus Infections
Effects of Compromised Airway
The effects of a compromised airway on a child’s growth manifest in various ways. The tongue often positions itself snugly in the lower jaw to allow easier mouth breathing, altering the lower jaw’s growth direction, making the face grow longer. Additionally, compromised nasal breathing hinders the normal development of the upper jaw and midface. This deficiency in growth, combined with the elongated growth of the lower jaw, impacts the facial balance and beauty of the child, continuing into adulthood.
Parents often observe signs of airway problems, although they may go unnoticed. Here are a few common symptoms:
- Mouth Breathing
- Chapped Lips and Soft Tissue Gingivitis
- Dark circles beneath the eyes
- Forward head posture or tilting the forehead backward
- Tonsil and Adenoid Problems
- Snoring
- Loud Grinding of Teeth during Sleep
- Bed Wetting
- Reflux in the Eustachian Tube
Adenoids and Tonsils
Enlarged adenoids and tonsils are the most common causes of airway compromise. The latest literature indicates that tonsils and adenoids bolster the immune system during the first two years of life. After that, a child can live normally without them.
Children are born with small adenoids, reaching their maximum size between ages 10 and 12. From that point on, normal adenoid tissue starts to shrink on its own. During this growth phase, adenoids can cause problems. Enlarged or “hypertrophied” adenoids can block a child’s nasal passages, resulting in nasal congestion, mouth breathing, and increased snoring. In severe cases, where the adenoid blocks the nasal passage completely, sleep disturbances such as sleep apnea, can occur. Consequently, a child may be tired all the time due to interrupted sleep related to nasal blockage.
Of course, enlarged adenoids are not the only cause of persistent nasal congestion in children. Aside from the history of symptoms, the best way to assess the size of the adenoids is for the dentist to take a cephalometric X-ray of the head and neck region. Since adenoids are hidden behind the nose and cannot be seen by direct physical examination, this X-ray shows several important details:
- Whether the adenoids and tonsils are enlarged and to what degree they block the nasal passage.
- If changes in the growth of the facial bones have occurred and to what degree.
- If congestion of the various sinuses is present.
- What stage of growth and development the child is undergoing and to what degree the growth changes can be corrected by intervention.
The ideal treatment for chronically enlarged, obstructing adenoids and tonsils is surgical removal. For children with recurrent ear infections, removing enlarged and obstructing adenoids may help reduce the number of ear infections.
Facial Growth Orthodontics
In cases where facial growth changes are significant and facial harmony is disrupted, the dentist may intervene and guide the child’s growth back to normal. Using various appliances, the dentist can modify the abnormal growth pattern and restore the balance of growth that nature intended. Therefore, taking your child to the dentist as early as possible, even at stage 3, is crucial. Here are four advantages of early examination, diagnosis, and treatment:
- Removes harmful factors influencing growth
- Excellent ages for growth guidance and restoring normal growth
- Assists in improving the psychological well-being of the child
- Saves some patients from future jaw surgery
It is important to remember that, regardless of your child’s rate of development and growth, a loving and supportive environment is crucial to their happiness and self-esteem. If you have concerns about your child’s ability to breathe or their rate of growth and development, discuss it with Dr. Wallace.
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