Habit Breaking Appliances
All kids have many habits such as sucking their thumb, which when done for a long time can be harmful to his/ her health. If your child has any such habit we recommend you visiting us at Zero Cavity to make sure it doesn't have any side effect on your child's oral health.
What is a Habit-Breaking Appliance?
Habit Breaking Appliance is a removable or fixed appliance used to stop certain repeated harmful habits in children. It is normal for children to exhibit oral habits like thumb or finger sucking, tongue thrusting, or lip biting while growing up. However, if these habits persist beyond the age of four, it can cause severe implications in the future.
What are the side effects of thumb sucking?
Thumb sucking at a young age doesn't have any side effects but if the habit persists after the baby’s teeth have erupted this habit can cause the growth pattern to change and cause severely misaligned teeth
What are other habits that can be harmful to a child's oral health?
Habit such as
1.Tongue thrusting: It's the natural swallowing movement of the tongue, but some kids take it as a habit to repeat this movement which will result in the deformity of the arch. If the pattern doesn’t change, it can lead to problems similar to those caused by thumb sucking like problems with tooth alignment and skeletal development.
2.Bruxism: It is the habitual grinding of teeth when the individual is not chewing or swallowing. It is a common occurrence is during sleep. It can cause loss of tooth structure and jaw-related issues
What to expect when a child gets a Habit-Breaking Appliance?
A habit-breaking appliance for kids is completely safe and painless to get put on and it doesn’t hurt to wear. However, your child’s tongue will hit against it until their tongue gets used to sharing space with the appliance which can lead to some tongue soreness and speech issues. But there is no need to worry as both will go away quickly. Since kids often use thumb sucking, in particular, to soothe themselves, when they first get a habit-breaking appliance, they can be a little cranky for a few days and may have trouble sleeping. This too will pass as your child develops new coping mechanisms and ways to comfort themselves.
