Many babies suck their thumbs, often as a means of comfort when they are tired or feeling poorly or sleepy. In the early stages, babies can take a lot of reassurance from sucking their thumb, but prolonged thumb-sucking and using bottles and dummies can have serious implications for oral health and the development of the teeth. As dentists, we advise parents to try and discourage thumb-sucking as a baby grows and to try and encourage them to use a cup, rather than a bottle once they reach the age of 12 months old.
What harm does thumb-sucking do?
Thumb sucking can have a negative impact on the development and alignment of the teeth and the front teeth can be particularly badly affected. Children who suck their thumbs are more likely to have misaligned teeth and protruding front teeth, as the action of the thrusting the tongue can cause the teeth to move forward and stick out at an angle.
Thumb sucking can also contribute to speech problems, most commonly the development of a lisp.
How can I stop it?
It can be much more difficult to preventing your children from sucking their thumbs than a dummy because the thumb happens to be attached to them making it harder to simply take it off them; however, there are ways to discourage children. Tips from parents, doctors and dentists include rewarding good behaviour and providing alternatives, distracting children so that they don’t even think about sucking their thumbs and charting their progress on a plan.
A good idea is to avoid nagging all the time, as this can be counter-productive and to encourage children to make it seem like the child is making an independent, grown up choice to stop; focus on the positives and offer constant encouragement. If you have any worries, don’t hesitate to ask for advice.
Having a perfect smile is something that most of us would say that we want. Being able to show off your smile makes social situations that much easier because you put people at ease. Smiling is good for you too as it increases the flow of endorphins and makes you feel more relaxed and less stressed out by things that might otherwise get you down.
If you have a crooked smile you probably want to correct it so that you can show off your teeth with pride. Being able to do so will improve your ability to handle social situations as you find you deal with them with greater confidence. In order to do so you should ask your dentist about having a brace fitted.
Having a crooked smile can lead to embarrassment in social situations as you try and hide your mouth, ashamed of the way your smile looks. Crooked or misaligned teeth are a common problem in the United Kingdom and you should be prepared to go to your dentist and ask for more information about how to rectify the problem. Aside from the aesthetics involved, misaligned teeth have also been implicated in cases of teeth grinding and even TMJ.
Crooked, misaligned teeth have many causes, from trauma to childhood thumb-sucking. They can dash one’s confidence and lead to a lifetime of poor oral hygiene. Central Leeds dentists are now offering a chance to put an end to this forever with the fitting of braces. Why delay achieving your perfect smile? Braces work with your teeth to ensure lasting, optimum alignment and bite that will mean you can show off your teeth with confidence.
According to a city of Leeds dentist, orthodontics covers one of the most important in dentistry. It centres on the mouth’s occlusion (the bite) and how to remedy any problems in the jaw’s position. This is achieved by correcting the growth of misaligned teeth, the coming together of the teeth, treating bruxism (teeth grinding) and teeth loss. This starts at a young age. Children are susceptible to teeth problems, especially as new teeth form in the mouth, and it is important to tackle any problems early on to protect the occlusion. Crooked teeth need to be addressed by the use of braces. This can take up to 5 years and can be very traumatic for the wearer who will often be subject to playground ridicule. Braces can also be fitted in later life as teeth are lost and subject to movement. But aside from the aesthetic advantages after the brace is removed, the importance of monitoring the occlusion are paramount to the health of the patient. Many of the body’s problems can stem from an unhealthy mouth. A bad occlusion can lead to wear on the jaw, gum disease, headaches, earaches, sinus and eye problems, and pain in the upper back. Before any treatments can be undertaken, any problems of teeth grinding must be addressed before an orthodontist can treat missing teeth with implants or bridges. Chipped teeth will be repaired with crowns, and bite positions (over, under and crooked), corrected with the fitting of a brace.
Are you looking for a simple procedure that can give you perfectly aligned teeth? Then, Inman Aligners is the answer as it is a simple, easy and hassle-free way to get your teeth aligned in a perfectly natural manner. This tooth straightening procedure is highly recommended by all dentists as the excellent choice for adult relapse. There are many dental clinics that can offer this new technology to get straightened teeth in Leeds Central.
Veneers have been popular for many years now, they are used to cover a multitude of dental problems and are very effective says a City of Leeds dentist. The problem with them though is that they are an irreversible dental procedure, once fitted they are with you for the life of the tooth. Veneers do discolour and are replaceable, but only with another veneer. The main problem is that the tooth is planned down to the thickness of the veneer and that enamel is lost forever. The new style veneer is called a Lumineer and it really is a breath of fresh air in dental procedures. It is made from a new formula that allows the makers to design them so they are super thin, yet they have lost no strength. They are so thin that no work is needed on the tooth to cement them on, and they hide as many sins as the conventional veneer. They are expected to last 20 years or so, as opposed to a veneer with a life span of around 5-15 years depending on the thickness and design. If new technology comes along in say 12 years time, your dentist can simply remove the Lumineer without any problems or loss of enamel. They can cover up misaligned teeth, discoloured teeth, cracked and chipped teeth and all in a session that can be done in your lunch hour. There is no pain or discomfort and they are usable straight away, the cost is also much cheaper than a normal veneer.
A Lumineer’s is a veneer, plain and simple. However, it isn`t that simple and that fact makes it a brilliant choice for many people with teeth problems, says a Leeds central dentist. Discolouration is just one problem these unique ceramic veneers solve; they also cover gaps, chips, cracks and even misaligned teeth. Fitting them is a really easy process and requires little prep work by your dentist, one tooth or a whole row can be fitted in one sitting. Normal veneers are fitted by first having a lot of prep work; this was due to the thickness of the veneer which is made from ceramic clay. Depending on the type and thickness, the equivalent amount of enamel is required to be shaved off the tooth; this exposed part is then replaced with the veneer to bring it back up to its original thickness. They last for between 3-5 and 10-15 years depending on the type and thickness. That problem doesn’t exist with the Lumineer’s however; the formula used to make them allows the orthodontist to make them super thin like a veneer should be. The strength and method used to make them also allows them to keep their colour, and their longevity is also longer. The other property they have that makes them a good choice is that you can have them removed at any time in the future, and they will be just as they were originally. This allows you to have the choice in the future to try out new technology; with a normal veneer you can only replace them with another veneer.
