Nutrition is among the primary elements that contribute to the healthy growth of kids. Proper nutrition for your child takes more than a healthy and balanced diet. The child should also be able to chew food properly to guarantee the highest benefits for him or her.
This will generally mean having proper dentition. For most kids, this is not so easy to achieve. Few parents will, however, seek pediatric dental care unless there is a dental emergency or they have been referred from a primary care physician.
Regular visits to a kids dentist-based in Lehi will address one of the common issues that affect your child’s nutrition. This is the misalignment of your child’s upper and lower jaws that causes bite-related problems.
The following are some of the common bite issues seen at pediatric dental clinics.
Underbite
In this problem, a child’s lower jaw will extend further than the upper one. Teeth on the lower jaw will thus rest in front of the upper jaw’s. Underbites affect about 5-10% of kids and result in discomfort, self-consciousness, and pain.
Though often genetic, underbites also follow mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, and using a pacifier for too long. When not corrected on time, an underbite will result in a ‘’bulldog’’ look, stress the jaw joints and increase the wear of teeth.
Overbite
In this, the upper jaw extends further than the lower jaw. The upper teeth will thus be in front of the lower jaw’s teeth. At times, the teeth in an overbite overlap and hide the lower teeth causing a smile that shows fewer teeth and a large portion of the gums.
Temporomandibular joint disorders, genetics, and bruxism are the common causes of an overbite. Some of the common complications of an untreated overbite include sleep apnea, speech difficulties, severe headaches, worn-out dental enamel and gum disease.
Crossbite
This often follows untreated underbites or overbites. In crossbites, the alignment of a child’s teeth looks disrupted. The upper teeth will usually bite the inner layers of the lower ones. It is normally genetic, but can also follow the delayed or abnormal eruption of milk or permanent teeth, and prolonged habits like thumb sucking.
Without treatment, crossbites can cause the child’s jaw to shift to the side, worn dental enamel, and lopsided jaw growth.
Open Bite
In this issue, a child‘s lower and upper jaws are both misaligned. This creates a large space between the lower and upper teeth. They result from excessive thumb sucking, mouth breathing, and tongue thrusting. When not treated, chewing will be an issue for your child, and he or she will be at high risk of speech problems because the tongue will push through the teeth.
From the tidbits above, you now realize that bite-related issues will not just impact your child’s nutritional status. They will also affect their smile and lead to dental problems that will be more expensive to treat in the future. Some of the above conditions are, however, not as easy to perceive.
Routine tests by a dentist are the best choice for picking them early and starting orthodontic treatments.
