The Importance of Children’s Braces

We all want our children to live happy, healthy lives. In addition to impacting regular dental function, bite misalignment during childhood, also known as pediatric malocclusion, can have a serious impact on children’s quality of life as they grow. Treating bite and jaw alignment issues with braces as the jaw is developing is an important part of preventing these common oral health problems:

Overcrowding and Impacted Teeth
The third molars are not the only teeth that can become impacted, or stuck, during the development phase. Overcrowding and impaction are common when a child doesn’t have enough space in their arch to accommodate every tooth. This makes it extremely difficult for kids to properly brush or floss their teeth. Primary teeth (baby teeth) are already more susceptible to developing cavities – the inability to properly clean every tooth only amplifies this vulnerability and makes it harder for children to maintain healthy, lasting smiles.

Overbites and Underbites
Bite misalignment can also impact a patients’ facial structure. While in childhood, an over or underbite may not be especially noticeable, these alignment issues hinder overall facial development, creating the look of a too small or protruding lower jaw. From a functional perspective, this severe malocclusion prevents proper chewing, biting, and swallowing. The misalignment can also increase the risk of nighttime teeth grinding (bruxism), which wears down teeth and makes them vulnerable to cavities and fracture.

Sleep Apnea
While many often consider sleep apnea to be exclusively an adult condition, this breathing issue can also affect children. Children already have limited space in their mouths – when combined with bite or jaw misalignment, overcrowding prevents the tongue from fitting properly with the rest of the dentition. As a result, the soft tissue and tongue fall back and blocking airflow while children sleep, spurring on sleep apnea.

Extractions
Childhood orthodontic appliances are specifically designed to ensure the correct development of the jaw and smile. Having braces early on, when these components are still developing, helps ensure that the dentition and jaw is in the position for optimal health and function in the future without having to make serious adjustments to the smile. In particular, when patients put off orthodontics treatment until their late teens or adulthood, they often need some teeth to be extracted to make enough room in the dentition for the rest of the smile.

Learn More about Kid’s Braces in Wellesley Today
At the family dental practice of Dr. Murad Padamsee, our mission is to ensure every child has access to the right dental care for lasting dental health. As a certified pediatric dentist in Wellesley, Dr. Padamsee is uniquely experienced in creating long-term braces treatment plans for children. For more information about the consequences of pediatric malocclusion and available braces solutions for your child, contact Murad Padamsee, BDS, DMD, MS today to schedule your child’s orthodontic consultation.