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Functional and Growth Guidance Orthodontics at Martin Dental Newmarket

At Martin Dental Newmarket, orthodontics is about more than just straight teeth and a beautiful smile. Crooked teeth are only the tip of the iceberg and reflect misaligned, underdeveloped jaws. There is a shift toward a holistic approach to healthcare, and your teeth are no different. Changes in our health and lifestyles can affect the development of our jaws and teeth, and the opposite is also true, especially when it comes to the position and alignment of our teeth. We treat crooked teeth as a sign that there may be other health problems or habits which also need to be addressed. Here is an example. If your child has to constantly breathe through their mouth because of a chronically blocked nose then his/her tongue is unable to place pressure on the bones of the palate to stimulate its growth.  The result is a narrow, underdeveloped palate and upper jaw that is unable to fit all the upper teeth, leading to crowding. Mouth breathing can also lead to the development of a less desirable facial profile, frequent throat infections and inflamed tonsils. Watch this video for a more detailed explanation. 
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Early Diagnosis is Key 

Did you know that future problems with jaw growth and malpositioned teeth can be predicted long before their permanent teeth come through, in children as young as four years old? Early diagnosis and intervention is essential in order to obtain the most ideal result and help them grow to their full potential. Planning your child’s treatment from a young age can help take advantage of their natural growth, in order to create and maintain space for the adult teeth to grow in straight. 

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We can also correct many undesirable habits, such as thumb sucking, and prevent the disastrous consequences they may have on the jaws.  We try to avoid the need for invasive and painful procedures such as extractions and jaw surgery in the future. At Martin Dental, we normally assess our patients at around 7 years of age, however we can start earlier if there are major bite problems (such as a crossbite or underbite).

Look out for common signs and symptoms of underlying health problems such as: bed wetting, poor quality of sleep, snoring and/or heavy breathing at night, daytime sleepiness and irritability, open mouth breathing, and poor posture/slouching.

Take note of any crowding and rotations of teeth, as well as any differences in the number of teeth between the left and right sides of the mouth. Also, ask your child to bite together on their back teeth and check if the top teeth fit over the bottom teeth. If you suspect any under bites or cross bites, we need to act urgently.   

If you are worried that your child may be experiencing these issues, we would love to offer you a free 15 minute chat about how we may be able to help! 
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Alternatively, take advantage of our Gap free offer and get their teeth checked and cleaned at the same time.