Parents have such a common misconception that milk teeth do not make sense to treat and even more so correct the bite - all the same, they will soon be replaced by permanent ones. This error leads to a deterioration in the condition of the teeth in the child, and it is quite possible that these problems must then be solved in adulthood. In fact, a milk bite is not just a temporary condition of the jaws. This is part of an important process for shaping the future health of the oral cavity, and it is advisable to understand all the features and subtleties of the process.
Features of the milk bite
The most noticeable difference between a milk bite and a permanent one is in the quantity and quality of teeth. Since the child's jaws have not yet grown, then the teeth placed on them are much smaller, only twenty. Milk teeth are softer, signs of wear appear quickly on them, the border between the tooth and gum is more noticeable. Children's teeth also differ in the color of the enamel; it is bluish-white.
Milk bite is divided into two conditional categories - emerging and formed. Both stages are important for the proper laying of a permanent bite and the natural teething of permanent teeth afterwards.
Emerging milk bite
The laying of teeth in a baby occurs even during fetal development, and the first teeth erupt already at the age of five months. As a rule, these are two central lower incisors. In the process of formation, the milk bite is usually not guessed, the teeth erupt gradually and symmetrically: the teeth of the same name on the same jaw erupt synchronously on both sides. For example, the left and right fangs on the upper jaw appear almost simultaneously.
Even at the stage of formation of a milk bite, you can determine whether it is developing correctly. If in two years, when the forming bite is already completed, to show the baby to the orthodontist, it is possible to determine the presence of problems at an early stage and take appropriate measures.
Formed bite of milk teeth
When all the milk teeth have already erupted, we are talking about an already formed milk bite. And if there are problems with him, then at this stage they are noticeable even to a non-specialist, because all milk teeth have already erupted. An incorrect bite at this age is most often called “open” - the lower teeth do not extend beyond the front ones, and it seems that the jaws simply do not close.
An open bite leads to the fact that milk teeth wear out faster, wear out, the risk of caries increases at times and, in addition to the above, the mechanism for laying a permanent bite is disturbed. The reasons can be different - from inborn features to acquired problems. For example, using the pacifier for too long or the habit of sucking a finger can lead to an open bite.
Do I need to treat milk teeth?
Milk teeth treatment is necessary so as not to disrupt the appearance of permanent teeth. Therefore, visits to the dentist are required, literally starting from the age of two. This is useful not only because the doctor will notice bite problems on time, but also help to form a calm attitude of the child to the dentist.
At the moment, there are modern gentle methods for treating milk teeth, in the same mild way you can fix a milk bite in children. For example, caries in babies are not treated in the literal sense of the word, but canned by the silvering method, preventing further tooth decay. The bite is much easier to correct at the stage of bookmarking violations than at a more mature age, when the problem has already formed and has to be addressed.
Correction of milk bite
The malocclusion errors seen at the stage of formation can be corrected relatively easily; complex bracket systems are not needed for this, it is enough to eliminate the cause of the problem and simply allow the teeth to develop as they should. Instead of braces, soft vestibular plates are used for this, they direct the growing teeth and help to quickly eliminate violations in the embryo.
The problem with the milk bite is that premature abrasion and cracking of soft tooth enamel are possible due to improper closing of the teeth. Milk teeth do not already have increased strength, and by the time they begin to give way to constants, they are already quite worn out. Due to malocclusion, this attrition increases sharply, which can contribute to the rapid development of caries and premature loss of milk teeth.
In the long term, correction of the bite of milk teeth has a beneficial effect on a permanent bite. Correctly formed jaws will grow in the same way, and with a high degree of probability after a tooth change a permanent bite will be normal, or it will be easier to solve problems.
The dependence of the permanent bite on milk
The rudiments of permanent teeth are formed under milk in early childhood, so any problem in infancy will inevitably affect further development. That is why it is highly desirable to protect milk teeth from decay due to caries, from curvature or improper location.
If a milk tooth has to be removed prematurely, then this provokes a permanent tooth to erupt and grow. The sequence is violated, because of this, the dentition can be curved. Since permanent teeth are larger than milk teeth, early replacement of a milk bite by a permanent one is harmful for a still-grown children's jaw. With a lack of room for growth, teeth can grow with rotation or at an angle.
Features of a permanent bite
The process of forming a permanent bite begins long before the first milk tooth falls out. Normally, baby teeth begin to fall out precisely because they are pushed out by growing constants. However, if the child has dental problems due to which decayed milk teeth, this order is violated. Thus, caring for baby teeth is actually caring for permanent teeth with which a person will have to live his whole life. Since milk and permanent bite are closely related, it is advisable to appoint the first visit to the dentist for the age of formation of a number of milk teeth.
Correcting a permanent bite is much more difficult than correcting a milk bite. This is due to the fact that the permanent teeth have deep and strong solid roots, the bite system has already settled in its irregular shape.
Bite Correction
To correct a permanent bite, modern bracket systems are used. This is a rather complicated invention, allowing to align the dentition, but it takes time. On average, the bracket system is worn for about twenty months, if the situation is difficult, then longer. The peculiarity of this type of orthodontic treatment is that after installing the braces, you need to wear them to the bitter end - if you interrupt the treatment ahead of time, the teeth will simply return to their original position. In particularly difficult abnormal cases, orthodontists use the removal of "extra" teeth to give others the opportunity to take a natural position.
In childhood, a vestibular plate for a milk bite is used instead of braces, but even if after it problems are found that require orthodontic treatment, this happens much faster. Dentists recommend installing a bracket system in middle school age when the teeth are still in a malleable condition for correction. At the moment, there are several types of systems that allow quite comfortable and aesthetically correct the bite. Almost invisible transparent braces or with the ability to choose the lining for the color of tooth enamel, or even a system that is attached from the inside, which is completely invisible to other people.
Paying attention to the correct development of baby teeth in a child, you lay the groundwork for the maximum reduction of problems in the future.