Some mothers nurse their babies, while others bottle-feed their infants. It’s each mom’s personal choice. If you decide to breastfeed, know that it can be advantageous to the orthodontic health of your son or daughter.
When your child receives care from an orthodontist, you want a thoughtful and detailed provider who makes you and your child feel at ease, listens to any of your concerns, offers excellent service and works with you throughout the treatment plan. The office of Woodhaven Braces is proud to possess all of those qualities.
Two recent professional studies compared newborns who fed from only the breast until they were 6 months old to newborns who were exclusively breastfed for less than six months or not at all. The studies concluded that those who fed from only the breast until they were 6 months old were less apt to develop problems concerning their teeth alignment, such as overbites, crossbites and open bites.
And did you know that pacifiers come in two versions: non-orthodontic and orthodontic? The non-orthodontics, which are the most popular, have round heads. Meanwhile, the orthodontics’ heads are square, flat and similar to the shape of a mother’s nipple when nursing; they conform to babies’ natural tongue movements.
The type of binky your baby uses can affect her dental health and oral tendencies. A 2019 study published in Boston Medical Center Pediatrics reported that babies who use orthodontic pacifiers are less likely to have bite problems. It might be partially because non-orthodontic binkies involve extreme use of the major facial muscle that lies under the cheek. Called the buccinator muscle, it holds the cheek to the teeth and helps with chewing. Orthodontic pacifiers don’t cause this effect and, if used before 3 months old, make babies less apt to acquire poor oral health habits.
We here at Woodhaven Braces are courteous, professional and friendly. We explain everything to our patients and their parents in simple terms, and we give them as much time as they need to ask questions. Please call today to find out how we can serve your child’s needs.
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