Press

"Paediatric Orthodontics—Is this the future?"

by Myobrace
12/2014

For decades, parents have received much the same dental services and treatments, on in slightly differing packages. However, in recent times and for a variety of reasons, the dental profession has been forced to evolve in order to cater to modern patient demand. The good news for patients, particularly orthodontic patients and their parents, is that this evolution has resulted in more treatment options than ever before.

For much of the last century, traditional orthodontic treatment has involved braces, tooth extractions or even jaw surgery. However, modern research shows traditional orthodontic treatment methods can only patch over the symptoms of malocclusion (crooked teeth) rather than address the causes. Furthermore, traditional treatments expose patients to tooth damage with relapse all but inevitable.

Estimates suggest up to 85% of growing children have a malocclusion, and the majority of these are caused by poor oral breathing habits (airway or neuromuscular dysfunction). Regardless of whether braces are used to mechanically straighten teeth, if this airway or neuromuscular dysfunction is not corrected it can cause lifelong health issues such as behavioural problems or obstructive sleep apnoea. Unfortunately, in the past most dentists ignored this evidence in the hope a referral to the orthodontist once the malocclusion became severe would solve the issue. However, this did not address the causes of malocclusion.

Contemporary research shows that to achieve stable results with minimal risk of damage to the tooth, airway and muscle dysfunction issues must be addressed prior to beginning orthodontic treatment. Despite resistance from traditionalists within the dental profession, there is an emerging field of dentistry based on this research that focuses on correcting airway compromise and neuromuscular dysfunction. This 21st century field, which could be described as paediatric orthodontics or preventive orthodontics, recognizes that correcting upper airway compromise and neuromuscular dysfunction helps unlock a child’s genetic potential for natural growth and development. This means that a child who breathes through their nose, with the correct tongue resting position in the roof of their mouth as well as with correct swallowing patterns, will most likely develop correctly with little need for orthodontic treatment. Whereas a child who mouth breathes and cannot posture the tongue correctly in the roof of their mouth will have an abnormal swallow, will most likely have a malocclusion and will experience other related airway health issues.

The good news for parents is there are in face already highly developed paediatric orthodontic systems available for their children now. As well as offering the potential for early preventive pre-orthodontic treatment, these systems reduce the severity of malocclusion and can often prevent the need for traditional extraction and fixed braces treatment techniques. Myobrace is one of the treatment systems that addresses the causes of crooked teeth and can satisfy parents’ demand for modern pre-orthodontic preventive treatments for their children.