You want your children to grow up healthy and strong. Have you ever thought about the way their face and jaws develop? Issues with facial growth and development are more common than you might think. If your child does not develop the proper resting oral posture, it can have a host of consequences on their health and wellness, as well as their appearance. Through facial growth guidance in Lake Forest, these developmental issues can be corrected, ensuring your child grows up with a great-looking smile filled with straighter teeth and healthy breathing patterns. Lake Forest Smiles is proud to offer this innovative method of orthodontic treatment to our patients in the areas of Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, and Lincolnshire in Illinois.
How does facial growth guidance work?
Facial growth guidance also is based on a treatment philosophy that resting oral posture is the cornerstone of facial growth guidance. This means how your mouth rests when it is not chewing or speaking. Correct oral posture means teeth together, lips closed, and your tongue resting gently against the roof of your mouth while breathing through the nose.
Why does resting oral posture matter?
Failing to maintain proper oral posture could have a host of negative consequences, such as:
- Narrow dental arches
- A restricted or underdeveloped airway
- Mouth breathing
- Snoring, which could lead to a sleep breathing disorder
- TMJ disorder
Poor resting posture also can affect your appearance, creating any of the following:
- Flattened face
- Sloping forehead
- A narrow face or elongated lower face
- Sunken cheeks
- Recessed chin
- Severe overbite or underbite
- Crooked teeth
- Narrow dental arch
- Open mouth posture
- Mouth breathing
- Lip impotence (inability to maintain closed lips)
Through facial growth guidance in Lake Forest, our dentists can restore harmony and balance to the orofacial system, ensuring ideal growth and development patterns for better tooth alignment, open airways, and fewer risks of TMJ or sleep apnea later in life.
Watch for these warning signs
As a parent, you’re vigilant about keeping your children safe.
Identifying facial growth concerns may not be something many parents are familiar with, although there are specifics you can be on the lookout for that may signal an issue with their facial growth and development:
- Snoring while sleeping
- Frequently having their mouth open while awake or asleep (mouth breathing)
- Dental crowding
- Jaw pain
- Sucking of the thumb, fingers, or inanimate objects past early childhood
- Grinding their teeth
- Poor posture
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing or making the transition to solid foods
If you notice any combination of these issues, schedule an appointment at Lake Forest Smiles at your soonest convenience and request a facial growth guidance consultation for kids in Lake Forest.
Facial Growth Guidance in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Lincolnshire
Lake Forest Smiles is proud to offer facial growth guidance as part of our program of services. Performed through oral appliance therapy, this treatment method is non-invasive and convenient. For younger children, facial growth guidance may curtail the need for orthodontic treatment with braces or Invisalign later in life. Additionally, if your young child has already been recommended for braces or have healthy teeth extracted to make room for straightening teeth, consider a second opinion with Lake Forest Smiles. Make sure your child can grow and develop to their best in every way. Schedule a screening today to see if your child could benefit from facial growth guidance in Lake Forest or Lake Bluff. Find out more by calling our office at (847) 234-4800.
