Habit Breaking Appliances
Do you notice your child sucking their thumb even after they’re three years old? If yes, then you must consult your nearby pediatric dentist. Sometimes children may develop unhealthy habits that usually go away as they grow.
However, if such habits persist after the permanent teeth of a child have erupted, they can have a huge negative impact on the growth of the jaw and can even result in severe malocclusion. The reason behind this is that the jaw bone of children is softer than that of adults.
So, a prolonged use of such habits can result in misalignment of the jaws due to a drastic amount of force applied on them. Therefore, it is important that you make your child understand the future consequences of these habits and make them leave it gradually.
To break such long-term habits in children, your child will need some habit breaking appliances.
What are Habit Breaking Appliances?
Habit breaking appliances are made of thin metallic wires, given a particular shape, and placed inside a child’s mouth by their pedodontist. These appliances are bonded with the molar teeth and placed lingual so that they remain hidden whenever your child tries to smile or talk.
These appliances don’t cause any problem while eating and are painless to wear. There are two types of oral habit breaking appliances - fixed and removable.
What are the Benefits of Habit Breaking Appliances?
These appliances can take away the enjoyable part of deleterious habits in children such as thumb sucking, tongue thrusting, nail biting, lip biting, etc.
Most children have a habit of sucking their thumb unconsciously whenever they’re feeling stressed, upset, or anxious. Some children suck their thumb even while they’re sleeping. Oral habit breaking appliances can work wonders in all these situations and can help your child get rid of their thumb sucking habit quickly.
These appliances can be a godsend for your child’s teeth and can prevent severe malocclusion and jaw misalignment from taking place in children with oral deleterious habits.
These appliances do not compromise the aesthetic appearance of your child because they generally remain invisible while talking, smiling, and eating.
What are the Different Types of Habit Breaking Appliances?
Fixed Palatal Crib:
The fixed palatal crib is the most preferred appliance for breaking the thumb sucking habit in young kids. Ideally, a child should stop sucking their thumb after they reach an average age of three to four years.
However, if this habit persists even after reaching this age, then your pedodontist might recommend you to consider using a fixed palatal crib for your child.
This appliance is tied to the molar teeth using metal bars and rings and is positioned behind the upper front teeth. Even though the appliance might appear scary at first, it is completely painless and plays a great role in helping your child get rid of the thumb sucking or finger sucking habit.
Oral Screen:
If you notice that your child breathes through his/her mouth rather than his/her nose, then using an oral screen can work wonders for them. Several kids unconsciously develop the habit of breathing through their mouth rather than their nose.
This habit can lead to long-term dental complications which might need to be treated by an orthodontist later in life.
Therefore, it is important to break the mouth breathing habit early on by using an oral screen. An oral screen works by keeping the air away from your kid’s mouth and motivating him/her to breathe through their nose.
Lip Bumper:
A lip bumper is a u-shaped habit breaking appliance that is encircled around the lower jaw of your kid.
This is a corrective appliance that helps create additional space for tooth misalignment correction and also alleviates the issues caused by prolonged thumb sucking.
If applied by an orthodontist, a lip bumper can also help break the habit of finger sucking or thumb sucking in your child.
Spiky Tongue Crib:
If your child has a habit of excessive tongue thrusting, then their pedodontist will recommend them to be fitted with a spiky tongue crib.
This appliance can prove to be of great help in helping your child overcome the habit of tongue thrusting within a time period of four to six months.
Bluegrass Appliance:
One of the most comfortable habit breaking appliances for children available in the market today is the bluegrass appliance. It is easy for children to get habitual to wearing this appliance within just a few days.
This appliance is generally used by dentists to help children get over their habit of finger sucking. It is made using a thin metallic wire and a simple metallic roller that gets fitted at the roof of your kid’s mouth.
So, whenever your child puts their finger or thumb in their mouth, they turn the roller instead. This helps give them the motivation to leave this deleterious habit.
Wrapping Up
The above article contains all the information you need to know about oral habit breaking appliances in children.
When your child starts wearing such appliances, it might be slightly uncomfortable for them to wear it initially. They might even have certain mood swings for the first few days. However, over time your child will get accustomed to them and you’ll have no reason to worry. These appliances are totally painless and 100% safe. Just remember to be gentle and patient with your child during this phase.
Before you select a habit breaking appliance for your child, we recommend you to visit a pediatric dentist first. A professional would be able to guide you and your child in the right direction about such appliances and help you enjoy a smoother process!