Oral Habit Appliances Long Beach, CA
Poor oral habits form at an early age and can cause serious consequences for the developing teeth and jaws. Some common oral habits to identify and prevent are thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, nail biting, and mouth breathing.
Orthodontists use habit appliances and growth appliances to correct many issues, including encouraging your jaw and teeth to move into the correct position. Orthodontists often recommend growth appliances to correct improper jaw development and other issues, including crowded teeth, overbites, sleep apnea, and more.
Habit appliances and growth appliances are available at Paramount Dental Care &Specialty in Long Beach and the surrounding area. Our team provides recommendations to correct issues occurring in your mouth.
We help you understand what causes these problems and how to fix them. Callus at (562) 450-1261 to learn more about our services.
Basic Tongue Guard
The Vertical Habit appliance is used on the upper arch to restrain the tongue from excessive anterior movement or thumb sucking. A .040-inch support arch wire is soldered to bands on the first molars. A vertical "cage" is extended just behind the lower anteriors to prevent thumb sucking and tongue thrusting.
Vertical Habit Crib
Flat Habit Crib
Rake Habit Crib
Habit Crib with Pearl
Growth Appliances to Consider
Orthodontic treatments require several different metal tools and appliances, sometimes including growth appliances. The American Association of Orthodontics states that, even though treatments typically range between ages nine and 14, younger children could also benefit from earlier treatment. Orthodontists will recommend a different type of growth appliance depending on the issue. These may include:
- Palate Expanders: Palate expanders may be beneficial when there is not enough room in the mouth for teeth to fit correctly.
- Orthodontic Growth Appliances: These appliances address issues for patients who breathe through their mouth, have improper lip seals, or improper tongue position.
- Thumb Sucking Growth Appliances: Children may have significant dental issues if they suck their thumb beyond the age of three. Thumb sucking growth plates may help a child stop sucking their thumb.
- Tongue Habit Growth Appliances: One’s tongue should rest at the roof of the mouth. Abnormalities can develop in the mouth if the tongue position is incorrect when eating, swallowing, or talking.
“Orthodontists will recommend a different type of growth appliance depending on the issue.”
Appliances for Facial Development
Three factors influence facial development: lip seal, nasal breathing, and proper tongue position. If these factors are not present during development and growth, they can cause imbalances in the craniofacial structure. The result is a long-face syndrome or midface deficiencies because the jaws are not developing to their true genetic potential.
The causes for these physical defects include:
- Adverse swallowing patterns
- Finger and thumb sucking
- Genetics (approximately 10% of patients)
- Improper tongue position
- Lips apart, tongue not resting on the palate, and other improper oral positions
- Soft tissue dysfunction causing mouth breathing (adenoids, allergies, enlarged tonsils)
“Three factors influence the facial development: lip seal, nasal breathing, and proper tongue position.”
Appliances for Tongue Habits
Orthodontists commonly use tongue habit appliances to help address oral habit patterns. Examples of these appliances include cribs, prongs, rakes, spikes, and other tongue habit reminders. Most appliances for tongue habits feature designs that block your tongue thrust.
Instead of dealing with the development of jaw problems, including a crossbite or misaligned teeth, one can use appliances for tongue habits. These appliances look similar to retainers used after their braces. A common tongue habit is thrusting, which typically resolves itself by age six. Similar to the palatal crib, tongue thrust appliances block the tongue from thrusting.
“Examples of these appliances include cribs, prongs, rakes, spikes, and other tongue habit reminders.”
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Oral Appliances in Long Beach, CA
Appliances for Breaking Bad Personal Habits
Most children stop sucking their thumbs between ages two and four. Habit appliances, or habit-breaking appliances, are dental appliances that help break bad personal habits. Habit appliances allow children to put their finger or thumb into their mouth, but it is not as comfortable. Eventually, the appliance discourages the child from continuing this habit.
Other habits that may need appliances include:
- Biting or sucking on their lower lip
- Excessive pacifier use
- Teeth grinding
- Tongue thrusting
“Habit appliances allow children to put their finger or thumb into their mouth, but it’s not as comfortable.”
Comparing Upper, Lower, and Full Mouth Appliances
Orthodontists use many useful techniques to break oral habits, including appliances that correct upper, lower, and full mouth issues. An orthodontist will assess the patient's mouth to determine which appliance is appropriate.
- Upper Mouth Growth Appliances: These appliances work by gently creating additional space in your child’s mouth by expanding their upper jaw.
- Lower Mouth Growth Appliances: Bionators are removable appliances that promote lower jaw growth.
- Whole Mouth Growth Appliances: Anterior appliances work by gradually restructuring the jaw and surrounding areas to correct jaw structure issues, including overbites, TMJ disorder, underbites, and more.
“An orthodontist assesses the patient’s mouth and determines which appliance is appropriate.”
Questions Answered on This Page
Q. How do I know which growth appliances I should use?
Q. What are appliances for facial development?
Q. What are appliances for tongue habits?
Q. What are appliances for breaking personal habits?
Q. When should I use upper, lower, or full mouth appliances?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I know if my child needs growth or habit appliances?
A. If your child still sucks their thumb beyond age four, then they might need a habit appliance. If your child's orthodontist states that there's too much crowding in their mouth, they may need a growth appliance.
Q. Are there specific benefits for habit appliances?
A. Habit appliances are useful and minimally invasive. These appliances help your child stop detrimental oral habits. They continue working even when your child is distracted or sleeping.
Q. What should my child expect during treatment?
A. Treatments start with the placement of the appliance. Anchor bands affix the appliance to your child's back teeth. You can expect the design of the appliance to vary depending on your child's oral issues. During the first few days of use, your child may have a difficult time speaking clearly.
Q. Are appliances painful?
A. During the first few days after placing the appliance, your child may experience some soreness or discomfort as they adjust. The recommendation is to feed them soft food during this timeframe. Over-the-counter pain medications are also useful for managing pain. Once your child adjusts, they should not experience any pain. However, if they have a palate expander, they can expect pressure and pain during each adjustment.
Start Feeling Better – Visit Us Today
By visiting us as soon as possible, our team can help get you the professional treatment you need. Instead of waiting around and allowing the symptoms to get worse, we can provide you with treatment options.
Scan here to view this page, Oral Appliances, on mobile
Definitions
Call Us Today
Growth issues and dental habits can be frustrating. Our team helps parents navigate these issues to identify problems and solutions. We also provide follow-up care that ensures your child's growth is correct or identifies when they are breaking habits.
Do not put off helping your child break oral habits. Let Paramount Dental Care & Specialty in Long Beach help. Contact us at 562-450-1261 to learn more about our growth habit appliances and services.
Helpful Related Links
- American Dental Association (ADA). Glossary of Dental Terms. Year
About our business, license, and website security
- ParamountDental Care & Specialty was established in 2021.
- We accept the following payment methods: American Express, Cash, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa
- We serve patients from the following counties: Los Angeles County
- We serve patients from the following cities: Long Beach, Compton, Paramount, Bellflower, Lakewood, Orange, Signal Hill, and Lynwood
- CA (License #102324). View License Information and Specifics
- National Provider Identifier Database (1114419611). View NPI Registry Information
- Norton Safe Web. View Details
- Trend Micro Site Safety Center. View Details
Scan here to open directions to Paramount Dental Care & Specialty on mobile
Back to top of Oral Appliances
Related Posts
Common Treatment Options Offered By An Implant Dentist
Oral health plays a vital role in your overall well-being. Dental advancements have revolutionized dentistry and can replace missing or damaged teeth and restore smiles. Implant dentists provide patients with effective and long-lasting solutions for missing teeth. This blog post will discuss common treatment options offered by implant dentists.Dental implants are small titanium posts that…
The Role Implant Dentists Play In Smile Makeovers
When it comes to achieving a beautiful and confident smile, the expertise of an implant dentist is essential. Smile makeovers are a comprehensive dental procedure involving restoring and improving a patient's teeth and gums. With the latest advancements in dentistry, patients can achieve their dream smiles with the help of a dentist who specializes in…
What To Expect At A Consultation With An Implant Dentist
Implant dentists provide a teeth replacement option that closely resembles natural teeth. Whether a patient is missing one, many, or all of their teeth, dental implants look and function similarly to natural teeth with the added benefit of replacing tooth roots and stimulating the jawbone. This jawbone stimulation is a benefit other teeth replacement options…
Call Us Today
Scan here to call Paramount Dental Care & Specialty on mobile