Can malocclusion be prevented?

Crooked teeth in children - what causes them and how to prevent it? When is it worth starting to care for the correct bite of a child? What habits are conducive to abnormalities in the structure and position of the first teeth? In young children, do the crooked teeth come from the nipple or from the finger's sucking? Find out what to do to give your child straight teeth and a beautiful smile. 

When the first teeth appear in your child's life, apart from careful oral hygiene, it is worth paying attention to the prevention of malocclusion. If you are wondering from what crooked teeth can affect children and whether you as a parent can effectively counteract them, below we have detailed information and tips for you.

What are malocclusion in children?

We consider occlusal abnormalities disturbances in the structure of teeth, dental arches and their mutual relationship. Crooked teeth in children pose not only a basic aesthetic problem, which is how a smile that is not very pretty (although it can effectively take away the child's self-confidence and freedom to express emotions - the psychological aspect is therefore also important).

Some malocclusions can lead to an asymmetry of the face and / or a protrusion or retraction of the chin, seriously affecting the appearance of the child and causing problems with speech, breathing and swallowing, and even some postural defects.

What are crooked teeth in children?

Due to the period of occurrence, abnormalities can be divided into two basic categories:

Congenital

They are most often formed in the first months of fetal life. They can be related, inter alia, with genetic factors, improper nutrition of the mother during pregnancy (deficiency of vitamins and minerals) or more serious infections, when using certain medications.

Acquired

They constitute the majority, because almost 80% of all malocclusions. They are related to incorrect habits that we cultivate as parents after the birth of a baby and the habits that a child acquires through development (e.g. crooked teeth from finger sucking). The period of early childhood (especially preschool age, but also infancy) has the greatest influence on acquired malocclusion. Abnormalities can also develop in older children, adolescents and adults, but here we will focus on the early childhood, the most critical period for the development of the bite.

Habits and crooked teeth in children

When answering the question of what causes crooked teeth in children, it is impossible to ignore the habits present in everyday life and caring for children.

Correct putting to sleep

For some parents and guardians of children, it is a big surprise that we start to care for the correct bite of a child in the first hours of its life, ensuring its small body in an optimal position:

• the position of the head is crucial here, which we try to place in the natural extension of the spine, on a flat pillow;
• the baby's face should be relaxed in the supine position, the mouth should be freely pressed together and the chin in a neutral position.

What crooked teeth can they arise during sleep, in addition to the above-mentioned factors? It is worth paying attention to the fact that the toddler does not sleep only on one side - this may lead to lateral displacement of the lower jaw and the formation of the so-called cross bite.

Optimal positioning of the baby for feeding

Staying with the position of the baby's body, it should be mentioned that the formation of teeth and arches is influenced not only by the feeding method (breast / bottle), but also by the position of the children during such a meal. When placing the baby on the nipple, it is worth making sure that it is in a slightly oblique position (at an angle of about 45 degrees) so that the head is higher than the rest of the body and the breast does not press against the baby's jaw. We also take care of the correct position of the child's body during bottle-feeding (here, we also do not rest it on the child's chin).

Breast sucking versus bottle feeding

The risk of a baby developing crooked nipple teeth may be related to the way they are fed. For optimal development of the craniofacial muscles and bones (including teeth), it is best for the baby to suck the breast. In order to fill the tummy, the baby has to work hard for the milk to flow out of the breast. It has an extremely stimulating effect on the prevention of malocclusion: proper arched palate, shaping the jaw and strengthening the facial muscles. The active suckling of the breast also causes the physiological backbone of the newborn to give way to the neutral position of the chin.

If you are bottle-feeding your baby for some reason, it doesn't mean that you are automatically damaging your baby to crooked teeth from the nipple. All you need to do is pay close attention to the fact that its shape and flow are best adapted to the age and needs of the baby. Primarily:

• From the upside down bottle, milk should not flow so-called. "dribble", but drip very slowly. This will cause the baby to put some effort into sucking milk from the bottle - similar to sucking from the mother's breast;
• The nipple should lengthen slightly with each suckling movement, and shorten when swallowing, imitating the movements of a real nipple;
• Make sure that the nipple in the bottle has a wide base and a narrow tip (imitating the shape of a woman's nipple) and that the holes through which the milk flows out slightly point upwards.

Bottle feeding for too long

When a toddler is bottle-fed for too long, crooked nipple teeth can be one of the consequences. When born, a child swallows physiologically in an infantile manner, which is characterized, among others, by sticking the tongue forward (between the gums) to prevent the milk from spilling out of the small mouth. As part of the development and expansion of the diet, infant swallowing should be replaced by adult (somatic) swallowing, where the tongue is pressed against the palate.

Crooked teeth from the nipple with artificial feeding - when can it really happen?

Feeding a baby with a bottle for too long (over 18 months of age) contributes to maintaining baby swallowing for too long, which causes defects such as open bite or overshot bite with protrusion of the incisors (teeth protruding forward).

Sucking on the teat for too long

Prolonged sucking on the nipple will have the same negative effect on the development of malocclusion. Be careful not only to wean your baby from the soother before the age of 1,5. Its optimal shape, adapted to the age and needs of the toddler, is also important. Look for physiological and orthodontic teats that are the right size and have a slightly flattened, wide tip at the bottom. Pacifiers themselves are not bad, as they help babies to calm down and help parents relax a bit - as long as they use them consciously and carefully.

Crooked teeth from the nipple - how does it happend?

However, the constant sucking of the pacifier during the day and night promotes the narrowing and elongation of the mandible and maxilla (gothic palate), the retraction of the lower dental arch and the protrusion of the upper incisors (protrusion). To sum up - try to use a properly selected teat during the day in short periods of time. You and your baby say goodbye to the soother as soon as possible.

Finger-sucking, a childhood habit with serious consequences

Are crooked finger sucking teeth a real threat? Sucking on one of their fingers by a child (the most common choice is the thumb) is a common habit acquired during development. The sucking reflex is extremely soothing for small mammals - including human babies. Thanks to finger sucking, the toddler is able to calm down on his own during the day or before going to bed, or to fight an emotionally difficult situation. Crooked teeth from finger sucking they arise in a similar way to malocclusion caused by persistent sucking on the nipple, with the difference that the toddler's thumb is always at hand. This is why the habit of sucking it is so difficult to eradicate, often for a very long time - and these conditions are very unfavorable for the proper development of teeth and bite.

Disadvantageous consequences for the formation of teeth and dental arches are also the habitual sucking of one lip, sucking and biting the cheek or the frequent "biting" of crayons or a pen. Talk to your child about why these habits are harmful to him.

Proper dietary habits as part of the prevention of malocclusion in children

When your baby develops chewing milk, gradually introduce chewing and chewing foods into his diet. It has a very beneficial effect on strengthening the craniofacial muscles, proper shaping of the dental arches and cleaning the teeth from sediments.

At the beginning, when there is still little clove (i.e. around 8 months of age), it is good to serve your baby partially mixed meals, containing particles of soft vegetables or meat. The more milk teeth appear in the mouth, the harder the meals and snacks we can serve to the toddler, for example, a wholemeal bread crust, peeled carrot or larger apple particles. The teeth are designed for biting and chewing - thanks to the age-appropriate food, you give your little one a chance for optimal bite development.

Hygiene is essential

The answer to the question of what causes crooked teeth in children is also related to oral hygiene and caries prevention. It attacks the milk teeth with incredible speed, which in the worst case may result in the necessity to extract the milk tooth (or worse, several teeth at once). In children, milk teeth should fall out gradually, in a natural rhythm dictated by the development of permanent tooth buds and dental arches. Premature extraction (removal) of milk teeth due to caries creates empty spaces in the oral cavity that can result in serious malocclusion: incorrect displacement of other teeth within the dental arch, as well as disturbances or delayed eruption of permanent teeth.

The effect of frequent upper respiratory tract infections on a child's bite

Not all parents are aware of that recurring upper respiratory tract infections can also affect a child's crooked bite. If a toddler suffers from a blocked nose very often or has overgrown tonsils, he begins to habitually breathe through his mouth. The tongue is then put forward, and the muscles of the mouth and cheeks are weakened, which has a direct impact on the incorrect formation of the bite, e.g. the formation of an open bite, and even a shortening of the upper lip, which no longer covers the incisors.

In order to eliminate the child's unnatural mouth-breathing habit, it is worth starting with diagnosing and treating the cause (e.g. excision of the third tonsil). Muscle exercises for the mouth and face, such as blowing a feather / pinwheel or slowly moving water from your mouth, from one cheek to the other, can also be helpful.

With irregularities to the orthodontist

As can be seen from the above discussion, there are many factors that can cause crooked teeth in children. What the problem often begins with is basic, seemingly insignificant, everyday habits. Remember - straight teeth affect not only a nice smile, but also the general posture, correct speech and comfortable biting and chewing food.

It is worth taking every child who has the first permanent teeth to the orthodontist to be sure that everything is fine. However, if you notice any irregularities in your baby's bite, do not hesitate to report to a specialist in advance.