It
is normal for the children to have to unhealthy oral habits. Some of such
habits include thumb sucking, nail biting, lip biting, tongue thrusting, mouth breathing
etc. In order to control such routines, separate appliances are designed and
manufactured. These appliances are known as habit breaking appliances. These
appliances can either be of removable or fixed type.
The importance of these appliances can be estimated by the effect of the
pernicious habits. If these habits are not controlled, they may lead to
periodontal diseases, change in the shape of jaws & change in the teeth
position.
The thumb- or finger-sucking habit seems to relax and comfort babies and
toddlers too, and it’s perfectly natural. Although thumb sucking is typically
harmless in babies and toddlers, once children’s adult teeth start coming in,
this habit could lead to serious oral problems and, during school years,
continued thumb sucking can lead to social issues and teasing for your child.
Certain habits among the children can result in the improper growth of the
teeth.
In most children, these habits stop on its own between the ages of two and four
years. But if the practice persists after the permanent teeth have erupted, it
can drastically change the growth patterns of the jaw, and can ruin the
alignment of the teeth. It may be hard to believe that such a benign habit can
actually move teeth and bone but there are number reasons why this occurs.
Children’s jaws, rich in blood supply and growing rapidly, are relatively soft
and flexible especially in kids under the age of eight. So it really isn’t hard
for the constant pressure of a thumb or finger to deform the soft bone around the
upper and lower front teeth. Children who are particularly vigorous thumb
suckers are even more likely to change the growth patterns of the teeth and
jaws.
If such habits persists especially when it continues even after the age of five
years, it can result in the upper front teeth flaring outward and the lower
ones moving back and inward. It can also hold back the growth of the lower jaw,
malformation of the upper palate while causing the upper jaw to be thrust
forward. This can result in misalignment of the teeth, an anterior open bite
(where the front teeth fail to close together), collapse of the upper jaw
causing crossbite or other problems. That’s why it is important to stop the
behavior at an appropriate time, before damage occurs.
Prevention is the number one way to achieve excellent oral health. While these
habits are a natural part of their childhood and children often suck thumbs or
fingers to comfort themselves, long-term reliance on thumb sucking can create
orthodontic issues that require lengthy treatment. In addition to orthodontic
issues, they can cause faster spread of disease because of the germs kids pick
up on their fingers.
By breaking these habits early, we can often sidestep complex treatment plans
and long-term orthodontic care in the future.
Sometimes children can quit these habits on their own. Talk to your child and help them realize it is time to break the habit. It is difficult for children to quit these comforting habits all at once. Start by setting limits and offering gentle reminders when you notice them going back to old patterns and realize that it will take some time to break the habit.
Some habit breaking appliances can help you to gently wean your child from such deleterious habits.
Dentist in India are providing custom made habit breaking appliances for children with such habits and a systematic follow up of the patients every six months to check the improvement in their habit pattern.
A proper supervision done by the dentists in dental clinics in India is the proper way to go about the treatment.