Friday, May 1, 2015

How our children’s oral habits can effect their teeth

Malocclusion, or misaligned teeth, may arise from a variety of early childhood habits, such as thumb and finger sucking, nail biting, hair chewing, tongue and lip sucking or other chewing maladies.

Experts in the field have determined the following:

  • 60% of malocclusion is caused by prolonged finger or thumb sucking.
  • 10% of six to eleven year olds suck their thumbs or fingers.
  • 85% of thumb suckers have an open bite. Often open bites can not only lead to malocclusion but also TMJ problems due to lateral movements of the jaw to chew food.
  • Nearly 60% of thumb suckers experience root resorption, the destruction of a tooth’s root structure.
It is important to catch these poor oral habits early in order to prevent problems later on in a child’s life. Make sure to monitor your child’s behaviors and schedule regular visits to their dentist!

22 comments:

  1. I agree that it is important to catch bad dental habits early and instill better ones in our children. When it comes to teaching your kids good, healthy habits, the earlier you start, the better.

    Walter Kowalski | http://www.clearviewmarketdental.ca

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  2. Any one's oral habits can effect their own teeth, it is not just our children. Everyone needs to be taking care of their teeth and making sure that they are in great health. Not only do people need to be brushing their teeth 2-3 times a day, but they also need to be going to a dentist on a regular basis as well.
    http://www.beaufortstreetdentalcentre.com.au

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  3. Yeah I agree that poor oral habits can affect teeth of kids, so we have to make sure that kids have good oral care habits. I visit to dentist Torrance for my kid’s teeth checkup every month and this way my daughter have healthy and shiny teeth’s.

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  4. This was a great post about how oral habits can effect teeth. I had no idea that thumb sucking could be harmful to teeth. My son is a thumb sucker. I will have to try to get him to stop sucking his thumb. The next time we go to the dentist I will ask if there was any damage done from his thumb sucking.
    Emily Smith | http://www.njdentalcare.com

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  5. It is very difficult to keep kids away from fizzy drinks, chocolates, chips etc. When i consulted a dentist after going through dentzz review, for my treatment the dentist suggested me few story books for kids on taking care of teeth and to my surprise my child refuses to eat such things after that and also asks me to do the same and am very glad about.

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  6. My son definitely sucks his thumb a ton, we've tried everything and he's 11! I know that it can definitely damage one's teeth so we've been trying all sorts of tactics in order for him to stop sucking his thumb. I've been looking into getting braces for my son, just as a future precaution. http://www.northerndentalhygiene.ca/

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  7. The reasons that you have cited in the blog for developing misaligned teeth are very true. My brother as a kid used to indulge in sucking thumb and as he grew up, we found that his teeth became crooked and quite unsightly. We went to a renowned dental implant specialist in Arizona. He took good care of his teeth and leverage advanced dental technique to make his teeth appear perfect. Parents should take good oral care of their children from an early age and restrict them from developing any ill practices that could affect their oral health in future. Thanks for sketching such a valuable post.

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  8. It sounds like sucking your thumb is really bad for your teeth. The fact that it can make your teeth be crooked is bad enough, but to have 60% experience root resorption is not good. I'll have to pay close attention to my children and make sure that they are not doing that. Taking them to the dentist to catch problems early on would help as well. http://www.drkevinandersen.ca

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  9. It's kind of surprising to hear just how bad thumb or finger sucking can be for kids! It makes a lot more sense now why there's such a big emphasis on getting kids out of that habit at an early age. I've actually been having trouble getting my son to drop the habit. I may have to talk with a dentist about it to see if I can get any helpful suggestions on how to better address the issue.
    http://www.childrensdent.com/contact-us/minnetonka-office.aspx

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  10. Thank you very much for this information. I didn't realize that 60% of malocclusion is caused by prolonged thumb sucking. My two-year old has a habit of sucking his thumb. I'll have to ask a family dentist for ways to keep him from doing that.

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  12. I had no idea that thumb sucking could cause dental problems. This is exactly why it's so important to have consistent dental checkups. If a dentist is examining your child twice a year, they'll be able to tell you that something is wrong. That way more kids could get these problems resolved significantly easier. Hopefully more parents will realize this and do everything they can to ensure that their children are getting all of the help they need, and that they're seeing their dentist often enough.
    http://www.caredental.com.au/services

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  13. It's interesting how prolonged thumb sucking can affect my children's teeth in the future. I was surprised when I read that 60% of malocclusion is caused by prolonged finger or thumb sucking. Seeing that figure made me realize that I should be doing more to discourage thumb sucking so that my child can have healthier teeth.
    http://www.charlottesvilledentistry.com/dentist/charlottesville/2/lyon

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  15. Oral health is not only important to your appearance and sense of well-being, but also to your overall health. Cavities and gum disease may contribute to many serious conditions, such as diabetes and respiratory diseases. Untreated cavities can also be painful and lead to serious infections.


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  16. Thanks for the post and to share it with all of us. Always take care of your teeth.
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  17. Major cause of all dental problems are lack of good oral habits. It is very important to develop good oral habits in children. Orthodontics for Children

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  18. Great post! It is very important to develop good oral habits from early childhood to prevent dental problems in future. Since the child’s jaw bones are still soft early detection and correction makes the orthodontic treatment more effective. Orthodontics for Children

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  19. Taking good care of your teeth is important for avoiding tooth pain and looking your teeth healthy. I am agree with you that the poor oral habits can affect teeth of kids, so we have to make sure that kids have good oral care habits.
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