Thursday, July 14, 2011

Are Your Childs Lips Apart?

Lips are normally closed together when not speaking.  If the lips are seen to be constantly apart, chances are that the nasal airway is impaired and the child

is mouth-breathing.  If they are, it is possible that specific face changes will happen.  When the mouth is held open to breathe, the tongue drops down

because the tongue is attached to the inside of the lower jaw, so it no longer rests against the roof of the mouth.  The absence of tongue pressure on the

roof of the mouth causes the upper jaw not to widen from growth.  This is made worse by the tightness of the cheeks against the outside surfaces of the

teeth caused by holding the mouth open, pushing inward on the upper teeth and causing them to narrow.  Constant mouth-breathers tend to have narrow

upper jaws, which are easily recognized because one or both sides will be in crossbite, biting inside the lower teeth instead of outside.

 

Mouthbreathing may be because the nose if stuffy from allergies, or the nasal septum is deviated, or the adenoids are large, or the tonsils are large, or the

soft palate/uvula is oversized.  Dentists can recognize long soft palate/uvula and large tonsils by depressing the tongue with a mouth mirror and telling the

child to say “Ahh”. 

 

Large adenoids can be detected by the nasal sound of the speech, and can be viewed easily with an x-ray of the head.  Parents can notice if the child snores,

which often accompanies throat airway problems. 

 

It is not usually helpful to take a child’s airway problem to a pediatrician, because they are taught that tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are to be avoided in

order to preserve a child’s ability for immunity in adulthood.  They are taught little about the growth of the face and the adverse effect of a blocked airway

on the shape of the jaws and appearance of the face.  It is often effective, however, to take a child to an ear-nose-throat specialist, because in general these

doctors will consider tonsil and adenoid surgery if medication does not suffice to keep the airway open.

 

 

If mouthbreathing has resulted in a narrow upper jaw, the jaw can be widened by an orthodontist using palatal expansion.  It has been shown that widening

the upper jaw also widens the base of the nose and reduces nasal resistance, improving nasal airflow, and the most common reason orthodontists widen the

upper jaw is to correct crossbite(s) caused  by a narrow upper jaw.

 

Mouthbreathing left undetected and untreated may result in a long thin face, with the chin more backward, and with the roof of the mouth apparently high

and narrow due to the failure of the jaw to widen because the tongue is too low.

 

                                                                     ©2011  James E. Eckhart, D.D.S.,  Inc.

                                                                                                   www.eckhartorthodontics.com

                                                                                               1101 N. Sepulveda Blvd,  Suite 202, 

                                                                                          Manhattan Beach,  Ca.  90266  (310) 546-4724

                                                                                21210 Anza Ave., Torrance, CA 90503 (310) 540-5911  

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