Improve Growth & Development And Sleep Health Of Your Child Through Myofunctional Therapy
3 out of every 4 children have crowded teeth and incorrectly developing jaws. These problems are evident from as early as 4 years of age.The correct growth and development of your child is just as important as their health and education. Children develop most rapidly between the ages of 2 and 5 years. During this period, 70% of the growth of your child’s face and jaw occurs. Unfortunately, the majority of children do not experience correct facial and jaw development, resulting in underdeveloped faces and crowded teeth.
Modern research has shown that crowded teeth, incorrect jaw development and other orthodontic problems are not caused by big teeth in small jaws or hereditary factors. Mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, reverse swallowing and thumb sucking (known as incorrect myofunctional habits) are the real causes. Allergies, asthma and an open mouth posture also contribute to incorrect jaw development. Growing up, most of us have had one or more of these myofunctional problems, which may have been the cause of incorrect dental and facial development. Treating and correcting these poor myofunctional habits is highly important as research shows the position of the teeth is determined by the lips and tongue.
Examples of Bad Dental Habits
Mouth breathing
Breathing through your mouth does not offer any form of filter for the air entering your throat and lungs; and potentially allows germs and bacteria to enter. Breathing through your nose allows the nose to act as a natural filter for the throat and lungs, filtering out some of the daily germs and bacteria that you are exposed to. This can help to lessen the occurrence of asthma and allergies.
Incorrect tongue positioning
If a child breathes through their mouth during the day or while sleeping at night, the tongue drops to the bottom of the mouth, which results in upper and lower jaw development problems. By correcting your tongue positioning when your mouth is at rest, it allows you to close your mouth while breathing and corrects your facial growth when young.
Reverse swallowing changes the facial shape during jaw development.
Thumb-sucking affects the growth of the teeth.
Improve your child’s oral habits through Myofunctional Therapy
Myofunctional Therapy is a neuro-muscular re-education of the orofacial muscles through a series of exercise, to assist in the normalisation of the developing or developed, craniofacial structures and function. It focuses on behavioural modification to eliminate dysfunctional habits. It works with the muscles of the lips, tongue, cheeks and face and their related functions such as mouth breathing, low tongue rest position, improper chewing, swallowing and freeway space. It is based on sound scientific principles and can be very successful. With good dental habits, the development of the kids’ teeth and jaw will not be restricted and it is preventive measure from young.
About the Myobrace® System
For more than 27 years, Myofunctional Research Co. (MRC) has recognised breathing disorders as the major cause of malocclusion, poor jaw growth and TMK disorder. By effectively changing the way orthodontics for children is performed, the Myobrace myofunctional orthodontic system fundamentally delivers airway and habit correction to resolve orthodontic problems.
The Myobrace System works best for patients who are still growing, around the ages of six to ten. Effective treatment can be done outside of these ages, but habits become harder to correct in older patients.
The Myobrace appliances which make up this system have the proven dual function of correcting the oral habits that cause poor dental development (known as myofunctional habits), while also providing light forces to align the teeth into their natural position. This technique is now used by Orthodontists and Dentists in more than 100 countries throughout the world.
These appliances are designed to be used in-sequence to effectively train the tongue to position correctly in the upper jaw, retrain the oral musculature and exert light forces to align the teeth.
Myobrace treatment does not involve wearing braces or using complex and uncomfortable dental appliances 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is done through the use of a series of removable dental appliances that are worn for just 1-2 hours each day and overnight while sleeping.
Daily use of the Myobrace combined with regular activities (to improve breathing, muscle function and tongue posture) results in straighter teeth and improved function, leading to optimal facial development and a healthier smile. In a small number of cases, fixed braces may be required for a short time to provide optimal alignment.
Health benefits of Myofunctional Therapy
One of the most important aspects of Myobrace treatment is correcting bad oral habits, and getting patients to breathe through their nose. As well as improving the alignment of the teeth, breathing through your nose can also lead to improved overall health. Breathing through your mouth does not offer any form of filter for the air entering your throat and lungs; and potentially allows germs and bacteria to enter. Breathing through your nose allows the nose to act as a natural filter for the throat and lungs, filtering out some of the daily germs and bacteria that you are exposed to. This can help to lessen the occurrence of asthma and allergies.
Diet and nutrition can also play a vital role in your dental health. Teaching this from an early age is important. Part of the Myobrace treatment is to educate children on how to have a healthy and balanced diet.
How To Get Started
Step 1: The First Consultation
Your first consultation is where you will be told about the Myobrace treatment process. Your dentist will also be able to answer any questions you may have about the treatment. Once you understand this process and are ready to proceed, records will be taken properly to assess your needs. These records may include photographs, study moulds and possibly x-rays.
Step 2: Discuss Your Treatment Plan
On your second consultation your practitioner will discuss the treatment plan they have prepared specifically for you. They will give you an idea of the treatment time frame, Myobrace appliances required and treatment cost.
Step 3: Receive Your Myobrace Appliance
On accepting your treatment plan on the second or third consultation, you will be issued with your first Myobrace appliance and will commence your education program with either the Trainer Activities, or Myofunctional Exercises.
Step 4: Regular Appointment with Your Dentist
To achieve the best results it is essential that you wear your Myobrace appliance each day and attend regular check-ups with your provider and ensure that you follow each of the steps outlined for you in your treatment plan.
How long does Myobrace Treatment generally take?
The Myobrace System is a bit like a training program. Like study or sport, daily commitment and persistence is required to obtain results the best results. It also depends on the patient's inherent biology for change - therefore sometimes the results are rapid and other times it may take more perseverance. Old habits die hard, so the sooner the training program is implemented the better the growth benefits and the more permanent the result.
The Myofunctional Therapy treatment is available at our dental centres located at Camden Medical Centre and Financial District (CapitaGreen).