Various stimuli can cause teeth alignment issues in children. One main stimulus is when children suck their thumbs. Thumb-sucking can cause jaw alignment issues, teeth alignment issues, bite alignment issues, and more. Using pacifiers beyond the time that children’s primary teeth come in can also cause problems. Consequently, it’s important to be aware of the habits your children are developing and to take measures to prevent mouth problems in the future.
Correct Bad Habits
As mentioned previously, many habits from childhood can cause children problems in the future. Therefore, take care to correct kids’ bad habits from an early age. If you have children who regularly suck their thumbs or won’t give up their pacifiers, consult your dentist. Your dentist can recommend solutions to your children’s poor habits. If the habit is excessive or prolonged pacifier use, try creating and following a plan to slowly wean your child or children from their pacifiers. It’s best if you correct these bad habits early on before your children’s teeth come in. If you catch the habits early, you can prevent the problems mentioned earlier such as various jaw alignment issues.
Get Braces
If the poor habits did in fact cause your children jaw or teeth problems, consider visiting an orthodontist. Braces are a wonderful option for correcting such problems. Braces not only straighten teeth, but they also fix children’s jaw alignment. Poor jaw alignment can cause youth and adults many additional problems, including migraines. Therefore, braces both help to give your children beautiful smiles and help to prevent alignment migraines and more. When determining which orthodontist to visit, choose one your child is in favor of. Your child will probably be more comfortable with an orthodontist that knows them personally. So, set up a consultation with the orthodontist first before choosing them.
Use Space-Maintainers
Lastly, between the ages of five and seven, your child’s mouth will get overcrowded with teeth. This overcrowding often causes permanent teeth to come in behind baby teeth or to come in crooked. Consult with an orthodontist to see if your child could benefit from baby-tooth removal and space-maintainers. Space-maintainers prevent baby teeth from crowding the mouth so much that permanent teeth can’t correctly enter the mouth.
Many early childhood habits can cause problems for children later in life. But these problems can be avoided if precautions are taken. Watch your children’s habits from an early age and, when your child is old enough and if your dentist recommends it, get braces for your child. Finally, ask your dentist to watch for overcrowding in your children’s mouths. Doing so will lead to a long-lasting, healthy, beautiful smile.
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