The concept of proper alignment is important to your child’s teeth, which is why many children undergo orthodontic treatment to correct tooth misalignment. However, it’s important to more than just teeth – every aspect of your child’s oral and facial structures should be properly aligned, or several different concerns can arise. At our Livonia, MI, dental office, we can help your child benefit from straighter teeth, oral and facial structures with the help of the right, customized orthotropic appliance. Orthotropics involves ensuring that all of these structures develop and grow in proper alignment to help your child avoid more severe issues later.
When more than their teeth are misaligned
While orthodontic treatment is a common solution for addressing teeth that aren’t aligned properly, it’s limited in the number and scope of issues it can address. Sometimes, it isn’t just teeth that are misaligned, but also the jawbone in relation to other facial structures. Such issues can’t be corrected with traditional orthodontic braces because braces aren’t able to account for the development of your child’s facial structures. However, orthotropics takes all of these structures into account, and provides treatment that aligns your child’s teeth, jawbone, and facial structures for optimal results.
When their sleep quality seems low
Misaligned teeth and facial structures may be noticeable, but not every condition that orthotropics addresses is. For instance, in addition to the alignment of their teeth, orthotropics can also help address problems with sleeping and sleep breathing through the night. Children with sleep apnea will experience tissues collapsing in their airways and interrupting their sleep cycles at night. Orthotropics treatment reduces the risks of this happening by helping to ensure that your child’s airway and other structures develop properly.
When their bite starts malfunctioning
Some symptoms of oral and facial structure misalignment may also involve problems with your child’s bite, such as bruxism (constant teeth-grinding) and TMJ disorder (a painful jaw dysfunction). The specific causes may vary, such as damage or exhaustion to your child’s jaw joints and muscles. In many cases, though, correcting the alignment and development of your child’s mouth and face can help alleviate the main causes behind bruxism and TMJ disorder.
Learn if your child can benefit from orthotropics
If your child exhibits these or other concerns that stem from problems with oral and facial development, then it may be time to consider orthotropic treatment. For more information, or to schedule a consultation, call the office of James Stewart, DDS in Livonia, MI, today at (734) 425-4400.