Increase Your Face Value
A large portion of what we do here at Deal Family Dental is focused on guiding the growing face in the right direction. Many children in today’s population develop habits or other limitations that can disturb normal programmed growth. This is why some children develop severe crowding once their permanent teeth are in. At DFD, we focus on recognizing these disturbances, educating the patient, and guiding the growth of those who have gotten on track due to these issues.
If the growth can get back on track during the prime developing years (6-9), the need for braces can sometimes be avoided altogether. If your children have fallen behind and are out of the prime facial development years, no worries; the growth can still be caught up, and a proper face and smile are still achievable. Some common habits or issues that can cause aberrant or irregular growth in your child’s jaws include thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, mouth breathing, irregular swallowing, grinding, and many others. Set up a consult today if you have noticed any of the above from your child at home.
Growth guidance is so important in our practice philosophy that it deserves a more in-depth explanation. Studies show that between 80% and 85% of humans have an underdeveloped maxilla (top jaw). Growth guidance is basically getting the patient’s jaw growth back on track to avoid the negative facial and dental effects that come from altered growth. The primary function of growth guidance treatment is to remove the environmental forces (epigenetics) that cause the growth to lag behind so that the child can fully express their genetic potential.
The patient’s top jaw can grow normally and extend forward with the negative environmental forces removed. The lower jaw follows suit on its own, and the patient not only has a better smile and facial form but can breathe better (more room in the airway) and avoid poor esthetics, TMJ, or sleep issues. Growth guidance is achieved with myofunctional therapy (retraining tongue and lips) and using appliances developed with cutting-edge technology. For more information about treatment, click the link below or call us for an office consultation. And just to be clear, this treatment is not solely for use on children; adults can benefit also.
Early detection and prevention of malocclusion (bad bite) and inadequate growth of the face and jaws is a significant component of Deal Family Dentals’ philosophy. Leaving these conditions diagnosed and untreated can lead to:
- Crooked teeth
- Poor facial aesthetics
- Airway dysfunction
- Sleep disorders
- TMJ
Most experts agree these problems are not inherited but are a result of environmental or functional influences in growing children, creating crowded teeth and underdeveloped faces. These developmental problems can be detected at an early age and often are, but frequently, no treatment is recommended. Waiting for braces and/or tooth extraction in the teenage years does not solve the underlying causes of crowded teeth and poor facial development.
The key to early orthodontic treatment is identifying problems when they first appear. Waiting until all permanent teeth come through before beginning treatment with braces can, unfortunately, lead to irreversible damage affecting the teeth and the child’s overall health and development.
Dr. Stephen Deal recommends having your child evaluated at approximately age five or any time you have concerns about your child’s development. Treatment corrects the identified problems by directing your child’s growth to maximize an ideal outcome using myofunctional activities and comfortable appliances.
The goal of treatment is to create a beautiful face, a healthy bite for life! Your child is likely to be a candidate for early orthodontic treatment if:
- Your child’s lips are apart while sitting quietly or sleeping
- Your child snores
- Your child grinds their teeth
- Your child does not appear to have enough room for all of their teeth
- Your child has no spaces between their baby teeth
- You have a family history of TMJ, sleep apnea, or removal of teeth for orthodontic treatment
Treatment Comparison
Below is an informative comparison between Traditional Orthodontics and Deal Family Dental’s Craniofacial Orthopedic treatment.
TRADITIONAL ORTHODONTICS
- Moves teeth
- Active treatment as early as nine years
- Fixed orthodontic appliances
- Treatment usually pushes teeth backward
- Extraction of permanent teeth often required
- 2-3 years of treatment time with long-term retainers
- Ignores myofunctional disorders
- Ignores airway disorders
- Treatment is mechanical
- Wait and see what happens
CRANIOFACIAL ORTHOPEDIC ORTHODONTICS
- Optimizes dentofacial development
- Active treatment 5-6 years
- Fixed and removable appliances
- Treatment positions teeth forward
- No permanent tooth extractions
- Myofunctional therapy is essential during treatment
- Addressing the airway is critical to treatment success
- Treatment is biologic
- Addresses problem as they are identified
List of most commonly presented problems:
- Crowding and crooked teeth
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Openbite
- Mouth Breathing
- Airway and breathing disorders
- Facial esthetics
- TMJ, popping, locking of jaw
What is the cause of orthodontic problems, and why are air and food important?
Malocclusions and facial growth deficiencies have been recognized for nearly 200 years. Dentists have struggled to find a solution. Currently,, the orthodontic treatment paradigm involves dental arch expansion techniques, “extra” permanent teeth removal, or surgical alteration of the jaws. They focus solely on teeth, ignoring the bone, muscles, jaw joints, and airway. The scientific field that has directed and informed us with regard to human craniofacial growth and development is anthropology, unfortunately, not dentistry. Historically, research in human craniofacial development has focused on embryologic development, not post-natal (children after birth or growing child) development. Decades of published textbooks and research in anthropology have demonstrated keys to understanding the failure of the craniofacial structures to properly grow and strategies that can be used to correct these deficiencies in growing children and adults.
Malocclusions and jaw growth discrepancies are rarely genetic but are cultural in origin. The foods we eat, the air we breathe, and breastfeeding practices in Westernized cultures have altered functional demands on developing jaws and teeth, creating what are known as epigenetic effects. These epigenetic effects all negatively affect the teeth, jaw, and associated structures. Many of our current chronic health problems are related to these growth deficiencies. For over 20 years, Dr. Stephen Deal has provided gentle, safe, and effective treatments to overcome these epigenetic effects. No one has the experience or knowledge to solve these developmental problems.
Orthodontics is not just for Children.
Many adults have had orthodontic treatment one or more times in their lives. Many experience orthodontic relapse and/or TMJ and sleep apnea. The underlying problem was never addressed. Unresolved Myofunctional issues, underdiagnosis, and inappropriate treatment failed to address growth and development deficiencies properly.
Dr. Stephen Deal's exclusive treatment approach starts with a comprehensive history and examination to begin to connect the dots. Dr. Stephen Deal has developed a unique, comprehensive diagnostic protocol incorporating state-of-the-art technologies and a multidisciplinary review to determine your individualized treatment recommendations. Treatment is non-surgical and effective.
Myofunctional Therapy
- Lips Sealed
- Nasal Breathing
- Proper Tongue Position and Function
