Orthotropics treats bad bites by guiding growth of the face and mouth. This is largely done at De Queen Dental with the help of the Myobrace. This teaches the body where to rest in its ideal spot so that the face can grow naturally at its most forward and comfortable position. When the muscles of the face and tongue are not equal and opposite in directional force, it interferes with function and development.
Muscular dysfunction of the face can impact breastfeeding, speaking, chewing, swallowing, how the jawmoves, how well the teeth can be cleaned and how the face grows.
Signs that you could benefit from orthotropics:
- Sleep apnea
- Stomach aches
- Crooked teeth
- Tongue thrusting
- Face pain
- Mouth breathing
If your oral posture is not correct, this can impact the amount of saliva that your body is able to produce. Without enough saliva, dry mouth can cause holes in your teeth and digestion of food is more difficult, hence stomach aches. Poor development of the face that causes crowding or slow eruption of the teeth can be caused by several things, like poor nutrition from our diets and allergies.
The tongue posture influences the development of the jaws. The upper jaw and the lower jaw should be horizontally equal. If the tongue is not held to the roof of the mouth, then both jaws drop down and back. This gives the appearance of a gummy smile. This causes the tongue to be in the throat and blocks the airway, especially at night when a person is sleeping laying down. This poor tongue posture causes the whole-body posture to become off. The person will then project their heads forward for air to get to their lungs.
Braces usually pull the teeth back and push the tongue further into the airway. Orthotropics helps to grow the face forward, making the face more attractive and increasing the airway space.
