Oral Health Problems in Children (cont.)
Tongue thrusting
Tongue thrusting is the habit of sealing the mouth for swallowing by
thrusting the top of the tongue forward against the lips.
Just like thumb sucking, tongue thrusting exerts pressure against the front
teeth, pushing them out of alignment -- which causes them to protrude, creating
an overbite and possibly interfering with proper speech development.
If you notice symptoms of tongue thrusting, consult a speech pathologist.
This person can develop a treatment plan that helps your child to increase the
strength of the chewing muscles and to develop a new swallowing pattern.
Lip sucking
Lip sucking involves repeatedly holding the lower lip beneath the upper
front teeth. Sucking of the lower lip may occur by itself or in combination
with thumb sucking. This practice results in an overbite and the same kinds of
problems as discussed with thumb sucking and tongue thrusting. Stopping the
habit involves the same steps as described for stopping thumb sucking.
Early tooth loss
Premature loss of a child's primary teeth typically occurs due to tooth
decay, injury, or lack of jaw space.
If teeth are lost before the permanent teeth emerge, the nearby teeth can
tip or shift into the space now unoccupied. When a permanent tooth tries
to emerge into its space, there may not be enough room. The new tooth may
emerge tilted. Crooked or misaligned teeth can cause a range of problems from
interfering with proper chewing to causing temporomandibular joint problems.
If your child loses a tooth prematurely, your dentist may recommend a space
maintainer. A space maintainer is a plastic or metal device that holds open the
space left by the missing tooth. Your dentist will remove the device once the
permanent teeth begin to erupt.
Reviewed by the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic Department of
Dentistry.
Reviewed by Jay H. Rosoff, DDS, on March 1, 2007.
Edited by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD, on May 1, 2005.
Portions of this page © The Cleveland Clinic 2000-2005
Last Editorial Review: 3/27/2008
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