The importance of having a perfect smile goes beyond aesthetic issues, especially at an adult age, since a bad position of the teeth or dental malocclusion, as it is medically known, can cause tooth decay and even headaches.
According to WHO data, 75% of Mexicans suffer from dental malocclusion, which significantly influences the lives of those who suffer from it, because even having “crooked teeth” can cause trauma or low self-esteem, especially in those children.
The malocclusion refers to a bad position or alignment of the teeth itself that leads to a bad denture and with it subsequent problems that can be prevented from a younger age. That is why it is very important to pay attention to children’s dental training.
Experts points out what are the main factors that influence the position of the teeth when they are developing in an infant age:
The breathing. There are children who have trouble breathing comfortably through the nose and end up breathing through the mouth, which influences the final position the tooth will take.
Use of the pacifier. Although it is not bad for children to use a pacifier, this is permissible until the age of three years, after that it ceases to be normal, so that the process of development of our dentures begins until the milk teeth end and fall permanent ones come out.
Suck your finger. Like the pacifier, this habit after an age at which the teeth begin to come out, can impair the position of the teeth.
Play with putting objects in your mouth
Poke your tongue every time you swallow, this habit is usually common in babies, but needs a subsequent correction to eliminate the habit
These habits can cause the teeth to have a forward formation or what is known as an open bite, which is why there are headaches because the movement and closing of the jaws is affected, reaching the impact of cervical neck
The Dental specialist USA makes the following recommendations to follow to avoid a bad dental position in children:
Make a first visit to the dentist between 3 and 4 years to rule out dental problems and if they are detected, be treated.
It is important that parents know what factors can cause dental problems in their children so that they can be avoided from home such as removing objects from their mouths.
At the age of 7 years it is recommended to take one of an x-ray of the jaws so that a specialist can see if the permanent teeth will leave with a bad position and thus apply preventive orthodontics.
If bad oral habits are detected, lingual devices or traps can be used that correct these habits, always with the approval of a specialist.
Promote the care of teeth from infants; this includes the correct cleaning of the teeth and the use of dental floss, which will prevent the formation of bacterial plaque
Maintaining a balanced diet will help the system to function properly, especially fruits such as apples that help clean teeth; also trying to avoid abusing sugars since they bite the teeth.
The tongue also requires brushing; there are special tongue brushes that adequately remove bacteria that may end up affecting the teeth.
Keeping track of children’s dental health will not only represent better health in their teeth and self-esteem when they grow up, but it will also help you save on possible treatments that are applied for adult correction such as dental braces, They could cost up to triple what a preventive treatment and this is also included in the adult stage, because it is recommended to attend the minimum dentist once a year.