What Factors Affect a Baby’s Jaw
Development?
B L O G | S U N R I S E D E N T I S T R Y
https://sunrise-dentistry.com/
Did you know that our jaws have evolved to
get smaller through the ages? Scientists and
anthropologists have found that our hunter-
gatherer ancestor’s jaws became broader and
shorter as they grew more sedentary. It is
amazing to think that over the time of human
development, we are still changing based
upon our own shifting habits and necessities
over time.
The jaw initially needed to be capable of a
forceful bite in order to consume the animals
that were hunted. As diets changed, so did the
shape of the jaw. In fact, there was room for
all of the teeth, including the wisdom teeth, in
the Paleolithic skulls that have been studied.
Today, most adults have had to have their
wisdom teeth removed. Some scientists
blame this on the climate, while others blame
it on the diet. We know enough about how
diet affects our dental health as well as our
overall health, so we cannot discount the role
that diet plays in our lives, especially in early
development.
This blog will hopefully help you to build a
better understanding of baby jaw development
and what can be done to promote a healthy,
strong jaw from in utero to infancy to
adulthood. We can do a lot to help babies
develop healthy jaws with strong teeth.
When someone learns they are going to have
a child, chances are they will be reading a lot
to learn how to parent once the baby is born,
and they will probably be seeing the doctor
regularly to check on important milestones,
including the overall health of the mother.
One thing that probably is off the radar is
baby jaw development prior to birth.
The primary thing the mother should do is
take control of her diet. Eating nutritious
foods that help to build strong bones is
essential to get the correct nutrition to the
baby. Consuming quality proteins and even
quality fats like olive oil is also important.
Some causes of poor jaw development
include:
A Small Mandible
The mandible is the lower jaw. When it is
smaller
than usual,
it
can
create a
compromised airway, sleep conditions such as
sleep apnea, and even difficulties with nursing.
It can be treated with mandibular distraction
osteogenesis (MDO) surgery. The operation is
performed by an oral surgeon and does have
some significant risks.
Tongue Tie
Unfortunately, tongue tie is usually a genetic
development factor, so there is nothing that can
help improve the chances of a baby not being
born with it, as it happens during fetal
development. Tongue tie is a condition that
inhibits the range of motion of the tongue. This
affects baby jaw development and can cause
issues with the baby’s ability to breastfeed.
Also known as ankyloglossia, tongue tie can
have a range of negative effects on a child. It
can interfere with a child’s speech and
difficulty licking the lips or food like ice
cream. Due to the restricted movement of the
tongue, oral hygiene is affected, as the tongue
cannot sweep side to side to remove food
particles.
Tongue tie can contribute to a space forming
between the two bottom teeth in older
children or adults. It can also create a higher
risk of sleep apnea. Since the tongue does not
have as much mobility, the development of
the muscles of the tongue is slowed and can
cause issues with chewing and further
mandible problems.
Developing the muscles of the tongue at the
earliest age as possible can help reduce the
severity of some symptoms. Chewing on solid
food even before the teeth begin to come in is
the best way to do this.
A diet with healthy fat and protein is
recommended and before the baby is born, the
mother should adapt a healthy diet with
emphasis on quality oils like olive and avocado
oil, healthy protein, and colorful vegetables,
which may help the development of the
tongue tie to be less severe. Severe tongue tie
may require surgery.
Dr. Strietzel recently attended a group
discussion about tongue tie. During this
meeting, one of the participants noted that in
the industrial revolution, moms going to work
contributed to the problems tongue tie causes.
The onset of the use of jarred, soft baby food
and working mothers no longer regularly
breastfeeding caused a significant delay in the
development of the tongue.
Soft or liquid foods don’t help the baby develop
the tongue, as the baby does not need to work
at chewing baby food. Substitute-like bottle
nipples also do not develop the tongue nearly
as well as nursing, and that in turn negatively
affects baby jaw development.
Pacifiers, Baby Bottles, and Thumbs (Oh
My!)
While these things can be comforting to a
child, they can affect the shape of the mouth
and the alignment of the teeth. Giving a baby a
pacifier to soothe them is certainly a go-to
method to calm a baby, and weaning them off
the pacifier as soon as possible can save the
child from the negative physical effects it may
have.
The same applies to baby bottles. When it
comes to feeding a baby, the best option that
supports proper baby jaw development and
tooth alignment is to breastfeed. While
occasionally supplementing with a baby bottle
is fine, it is healthier for the baby to be breast
fed whenever possible.
Thumb-sucking is a whole different ballgame.
Any dentist can take one look at a child’s teeth
and know if the child is a thumb sucker. We
can’t watch for this behavior 24/7 if we want to
stop it; after all, we do have to sleep sometime.
Thumb sucking is a hard habit to break, and it
often leads to a child needing serious
orthodontia when they are older.
Sippy Cups
Sippy
cups
can
contribute
to
poor
development and
jaw problems. They
encourage open-mouth breathing and narrow
the arches, creating a smaller mouth and a
smaller airway, which can lead to breathing
and sleeping issues. The rigidity of the plastic
makes a child adjust to the sucking action in an
unnatural way, which is why it can affect jaw
development over time.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction)
can also be an eventual side effect of using
sippy cups. This can cause significant joint and
facial pain, as well as difficulty chewing food.
When it is time to begin shifting to drinking
cups, it would be healthier for a child to learn
to drink from a plastic cup with handles. Put
small amounts into the cup and give the child
some time to learn how to properly use it.
Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing has a series of developmental
issues associated with it. In addition to fatigue
and a higher prevalence of Attention Deficit
Disorder, it can cause a child to develop facial
deformities. These deformities can contribute
to other conditions that can affect the child
well into adulthood. Mouth breathers develop
a high palette and a narrow arch.
These conditions narrow the airway and often
cause sleep disorders like sleep Apnea. Other
facial and jaw issues include cheeks that are
sunken, a small mouth that does not allow
enough space for all the teeth to develop, a
recessed jaw or chin, and a flat and/or narrow
face.
Mouth breathing has a variety of potential
causes, from allergies and enlarged tonsils or
adenoids to thumb sucking and tongue tie.
Whatever the reason, a child observed
breathing through the mouth most of the time
should be seen by a doctor for help rooting out
the cause and hopefully correcting it before it
causes irreversible abnormalities.
Book an appointment now with Dr.
Strietzel, a holistic dentist in Durango, CO
for more information about proper baby jaw
development or any mandible problems.
dale@durangolive.net
EMAIL ADDRESS
(970) 247-3303
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