Habit Breakers & Space Maintainers "Myofunctional Therapy, Myomunchee, Myobrace"

A lot of oral habits in children are caused by oral myofunctional disorders. Most of the dental problems caused by these habits can be prevented if reported earlier. For an overall wellbeing of the child, its best to treat oral habits early which can cause poorly developed oral cavities and airways. At Dentician, we treat these habits using non-invasive and child friendly options like Oral Myofunctional Therapy, Breath Retraining integrated with Myobrace and MyoMunchee.

What are Habit Breakers?

Various habits like thumb sucking, pacifier sucking, bottle feeding, mouth breathing, lip sucking etc can lead to development of crooked teeth in growing children. Habit breakers are appliances and techniques used to correct these habits.

Why do kids suck their thumbs/ fingers or lip?

Some kids have an emotional dependence on thumb sucking while those who suck mostly during sleep time are the children who may also exhibit one or more of the following symptoms: allergies, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, chronic ear infections, restless sleep, snoring or heavy breathing and clenching of teeth. These kids will often also breathe from their mouth rather than their nose. Kids with thumb sucking may also present with a tongue tie that impacts swallowing, breathing and jaw growth and development.

Most of the dental problems can be prevented if reported earlier. The common problems that would require immediate attention would be:

forwardly placed teeth

spacing or overlapping between teeth

short lips

everted lower lips

open mouth posture

crossbites

Our non-invasive & child friendly options for habits breaking include:
Breath Retraining, Oral Myofunctional Therapy in conjunction with Prefabricated Oral Appliances

PREFABRICATED ORAL APPLIANCES

Prefabricated Oral Appliances like Myobrace and MyoMunchee focus on correcting the underlying causes for crooked teeth leading to natural growth and development. It can also prevent braces in future. These procedures are best suited for children from 3 years through their early teens. This treatment is successful only if these appliances are used in combination with Oral Myofunctional Therapy.

Pre-fabricated Appliances like Myobrace and MyoMunchee help to :

Correct poor oral habits

Develop & align the face and jaws

Straighten the teeth

Improve overall health

Promote healthy eating habits

It is better to start early than to chase cure.

MYOMUNCHEE

MYOBRACE

ORAL MYOFUNCTIONAL THERAPY

Oral Myofunctional therapy is an exercise program used to correct the improper function of the tongue and facial muscles. It involves strengthening of the tongue and orofacial muscles by teaching individuals how to tone and use the muscles in order to achieve essential functions like nasal breathing and swallowing.

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES TO IMPROVE
BREATHING, ORAL HABITS, SWALLOWING AND POSTURE

Individuals with predominant mouth breathing, noisy breathing, snoring often develop maladaptive habits like thumb sucking, lip sucking, finger sucking, clenching/grinding etc. and incorrect orofacial function that may impact various conditions including:

Jaw and face development

Crooked teeth

Sleep-disordered breathing

Mouth breathing

Snoring and sleep apnea

Nasal obstruction

Frequent tonsils and adenoids

Gags easily

Oral hygiene and dental cavities

Teeth grinding or bruxism or clenching

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Headaches

Neck and shoulder tension

Speech problems

Facial esthetics

Long term consequences of chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even ADD & ADHD.Proper diagnosis allows for targeted and effective OMT exercises for oral posture retraining to promote better health with targeted goals to improve habits, breathing, swallowing, reduce jaw pain, and enhance quality of life.

Please refer to Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy for a more detailed explanation.

BREATH RETRAINING

Breath retraining can be used as an adjunct to treating habits, tongue ties, sleep disorders & airway orthodontics for children and adults. At Dentician, we can help your child enjoy a restful snore-free sleep, relieve symptoms of mouth breathing, frequent tonsils and adenoids and enjoy better health and well-being by helping you change the way you breathe.

Is your child thumb sucking or grinding his/her teeth?

Thumb sucking and grinding of teeth can be a red flag to breathing and sleep disorders in children. It’s best to identify and correct it as early as possible.

What are space maintainers?

Space Maintainers are indicated for pediatric patients who have lost their primary teeth at the an age earlier than their shedding time. This helps to prevent loss of space which may lead to crowding and misalignments.