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September 18, 2008 - ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – Many parents believe today that braces for their children must wait until all of the child’s adult teeth have erupted.The truth is that some dental issues are more easily corrected when children are younger, said Orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth. Eisenhuth discusses the importance of early intervention on her Web site: www.doctorjennifer.com.

“Addressing problems early has the potential to lessen the amount of time children spend in orthodontic treatment later,” Eisenhuth said.

Sometimes braces are needed due to genetic reasons. Many orthodontic problems such as jaw and tooth size, overbites, under bites, extra or missing teeth and jaw discrepancies may lead to teeth spacing and crowding issues down the road. These are inherited problems that can’t be prevented, she said. Other times, orthodontic problems are caused by accidents or dental disease.

Orthodontic issues also can be the result of children’s poor mouth habits. Thumb sucking, using a pacifier, breathing through the mouth and tongue thrusting all are problems that can be corrected through early childhood orthodontic intervention.

Thumb-Sucking
Sucking the thumb, fingers or a pacifier beyond age four or five can result in deformation of localized teeth and supporting bone. This is because by age four or five, a child’s permanent are preparing to erupt.

Prolonged thumb-sucking also can cause the upper teeth to stick out as they erupt. It can make the lower teeth become crooked and can create a narrow upper palate.

Parents should take steps to break this unhealthy habit in children, Eisenhuth said. If doing so becomes difficult, an orthodontist can install a mechanical device in the child’s mouth that will eliminate the pleasurable feeling of thumb, finger and pacifier sucking. This device often can prevent the need for orthodontic treatment in the future.

Mouth Breathing
It may sound strange, but children who breathe excessively through their mouths can cause serious problems in their cranio-facial development that could lead to the need for jaw surgery if left untreated for a long time. Mouth breathing also can lead to serious malocclusions.

“There is a direct relationship between the degree of mouth breathing and the severity of malocclusion in many patients,” Eisenhuth said. “Additionally, there are multiple other health issues associated with incorrect breathing.”

Getting orthodontic treatment while children still are young has made correcting these issues easier and has eliminated the need for surgery in many cases, she said.

Mouth breathers also tend to be tongue thrusters, and they have poor tongue coordination.

Tongue Thrusting
When a child pushes her tongue against the back of the teeth during swallowing and creates abnormal swallowing patterns, this is referred to as tongue thrusting. It also involves the improper resting of the tongue. These bad habits can force teeth out of alignment, Eisenhuth said.

Treatment programs or myofunctional therapy have been known to successfully fix the problem, she said. Proper nasal breathing often is essential for continued success in treating this issue.

Other Problems
Early orthodontic treatment for conditions such as impacted teeth, crossbites and overbites also can lead to more simplified treatment when children are older.

“I can’t stress enough that if these conditions can be identified and treated while children are young, improving the malocclusion is a great deal easier,” Eisenhuth said.

Early Orthodontic Treatment Benefits
By age seven, a child’s first adult molars erupt, which establishes the back bite. This enables Eisenhuth to evaluate front-to-back and side-to-side tooth relationships. For example, the presence of erupting incisors can indicate whether a child has an open bite, an overbite, crowding or a gummy smile.

Early treatment can do a variety of things to prevent or reduce the need for braces in the future, Eisenhuth said. It can make room for erupting teeth that are crowded and reduce the need to have teeth removed. It also can reduce the risk of trauma to protruding front teeth.

Learn More
If you are seeking a specialist in orthodontics in Minneapolis or would like to learn more about early childhood orthodontic treatment, please call: (651) 406-8100 or visit: www.doctorjennifer.com to schedule a consultation.

About Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth
Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth attended the University of Minnesota Dental School and graduated in the top of her class. She earned the Minnesota Association of Orthodontic Achievement Award and several academic achievement awards. She entered her orthodontic residency at the University of Minnesota and earned a certificate in orthodontics and a Master of Science degree.
Dr. Eisenhuth is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
She takes pride in caring for the orthodontic needs of residents in the Twin Cities- St. Paul and Minneapolis, and their surrounding regions, including Mendota Heights, Inver Grove Heights, Burnsville, Apple Valley and Eagan, Minnesota.
Her office is located at 3340 Sherman Court, Eagan, Minn., 55121.

© 2008 Sinai Marketing and Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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