Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Are your child’s lips protrusive (stick out too far)? Get help from an orthodontist.

A certain amount of fullness of the lips is desirable in a child, because their

nose and chin will become more prominent as they mature.  Excessive fullness

of the lips is usually caused by the  teeth being too protrusive, forcing both lips

forward.  If the angle between the under side of the nose and the upper lip is

less than 90 degrees, it may mean the teeth are too forward.  There are

measurements that can be made on head x-rays or photos for evaluating lip

fullness, but parents’ and patient’s opinions are more important.

If they want the lips flatter, it is achievable, and if they like them the way

they are, that is important to recognize too.

If the lips are to be flattened, a common approach is to remove 4 bicuspids

(one from each quarter of the mouth) and retract the front teeth with braces. 

 The child can be referred to an orthodontist at any time after age 8, but generally

 treatment would not begin until age 12, when the permanent teeth have grown in.

Protusive_lips

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